Slayers Go!
by Rurouni Ken-ouki
Summary: The party splits under pressing circumstances, and who knows what will happen before they join up again?
1. Endings and Beginnings

Hey, hey! Well, here it is, my first Slayers fan fic (which, by the way, is   
owned by Kadokawa Shoten and TV Tokyo) and my first non-Tenchi fic, too. Tell   
me what you think, because I really want to know.  
  
Special thanks go out to Davner, for looking at my fic, and putting up with my   
endless Slayers questions, Cavis, for taking time out of his busy life to help   
me out a bit, and Fish, Little Masa-ouki, NJ Silver, Big D, Tamysan, and   
DrakStern, my other pre-readers. More thanks to Anyaku, who isn't technically a   
pre-reader, but pointed out some flaws which I've fixed, and to everyone from   
the #TenchiFF chat room for their support and suggestions.  
  
***  
  
Slayers GO!  
Chapter 1: Endings and Beginnings  
  
Lina woke up, and immediately regretted it. God, how much did she drink last   
night? She rolled over, wincing at the throbbing pain in her head. She wanted   
to curl up and die, or, failing that, go to sleep for a month and see if she   
felt any better by then.  
  
It was about then that a rustling of the blankets informed her that she was not   
alone. Someone was in the bed with her!  
  
"Oh my god," she whispered to herself, "I didn't get so drunk last night that I   
went to bed with someone, did I? What if I did? What if I..."  
  
"Hey, Lina," Gourry said, sitting up and rubbing his head, "Could you keep it   
down, I've got a..."  
  
"GIVE ME BACK MY VIRGINITY!!!" Lina yelled, grabbing him by his shoulderpads.  
  
"Ah!" Gourry exclaimed, clutching the sides of his head, "Do you have to yell?"  
  
Lina, of course, didn't pay any attention to him, and continued bemoaning her   
fate. "I can't believe my first time was at some backwoods inn. How could I   
have been so stupid?"  
  
Gourry scratched his head. "Huh? What are you..." Gourry's eyes widened as he   
realized what Lina was thinking. "We couldn't have... I wouldn't have... I   
mean, not with a girl like you..."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean!" Lina yelled at him.  
  
"Miss Lina!" Amelia said, bursting into the room, "Miss Lina! You'll never   
guess what we..." Amelia saw the blonde swordsman in the bed and turned bright   
red. "I'm so sorry!"  
  
"Wait!" Lina said, pausing to kick Gourry out of the bed, "It's not what it   
looks like!"  
  
Zelgadis surveyed the room over Amelia's head, "It looks like you drank too much   
last night and passed out, and Gourry fell asleep while putting you in your   
bed."  
  
"It does?" Gourry asked from the floor.  
  
Zelgadis sighed, "Considering you're still wearing your armor, I'd say it does."  
  
Lina looked under the covers which she had previously been holding to her neck   
and realized that she was still fully clothed, wrapped in her cape and shoulder   
armor.  
  
"That's it!" Lina decided, "This is too much for an empty stomach!"  
  
***  
  
Delvier watched the four come down the stairs and into the inn's common room. A   
wry smile crossed his lips as he heard the waiter drop his tray in surprise at   
the vast amount of food being ordered.  
  
"Some things never change, do they, Gourry?" he said to himself with a chuckle.  
  
"Huh?" Lina said, noticing her blond companion's distraction, "Something up,   
Gourry?"  
  
Gourry shrugged and scratched his head. "I thought I saw someone I knew."  
Lina looked over her shoulder at the bar. There were a few men who stood out.   
A mercenary from the Blazing Swords (What a cliché name, Lina thought to   
herself), a Barbarian from the Detran plains, a Knight of the the Red Dragon, a   
bounty hunter, and several members of the local guard. Of all of them, Lina   
could only picture Gourry knowing the bounty hunter, and she was pretty sure all   
the prices on their heads had been removed.  
  
"Anyways," Lina sighed, "What's the big news, Amelia?"  
  
"Watch," Amelia said, excitedly. She reached into her shirt and pulled out a   
crystal amulet. It was round at one end, and the other narrowed down to a   
point. She held it out, letting it dangle from her fingers. The crystal hung   
there, perpendicular to the ground. "SACRED BEACON!" The crystal began to glow   
and slowly spin. It made a few full rotations before coming to a very sudden   
stop.  
  
Lina was watching the crystal very closely. "Interesting," she commented, "But   
what does it do?"  
  
"It locks on to high energy emanations," Zelgadis said, "The type left by   
Shinzoku and Mazoku. If we translated the scroll right, it's pointing to the   
greatest source of energy that matches the energy we found in the ruins of   
Ceiphied's temple."  
  
Lina's eyes widened. "You don't mean..."  
  
"Yes!" Amelia squealed delightedly.  
  
"Or at least, we hope so," Zelgadis added.  
  
Gourry just scratched his head. "Am I the only one who doesn't understand   
what's going on?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, Gourry," Lina said, "Let me try to explain. You know how Dragon Slave is   
the most powerful black magic, drawing power from Shabranigdo himself, right?"  
  
Gourry looked up in thought, "Umm.... yes?"  
  
Lina sighed and raised a hand to her temple. "Anyways, there's a long-standing   
theory that there must be some counterpart spell. Something to draw on the   
power of Cephied. The ultimate white magic spell. Do you understand?"  
  
Gourry was quiet for a moment, digesting the information that Lina had just   
given him. "Um... yeah, I actually think I do."  
  
Lina's eyes brightened. "Really?" she exclaimed, "You do? LUCKY!" She became   
serious again as she turned back to Amelia and Zelgadis. "Are you sure you're   
not jumping at straws, though? I mean, the theory's nice and all, but it's just   
that: theory."  
  
Amelia smiled. "Does Crystal Breath mean anything to you?" she asked.  
  
"Um... no," Lina admitted.  
  
"It was written on one of the walls in Ceiphied's temple. I think it's the name   
of the spell. If it exists, then this crystal will lead us right to it!"  
  
Just then the waiter brought their food in, and any discussion with Lina or   
Gourry would be impossible for the next few minutes.  
  
"So," Lina said, once the initial gorging was over, "What do you suppose this   
Crystal Breath spell will do."  
  
"According to the runes we deciphered," Zelgadis said, "It returns things to   
their 'true state.' Broken things are fixed, injuries are healed, curses are   
lifted. It's implied that it can even bring someone back to life, if it's cast   
soon enough."  
  
"Which would make turning you back into a human a very simple task," Lina said,   
putting words to everyone's thoughts.  
  
Zelgadis didn't say anything. He merely nodded. He was afraid. Everything he   
had tried had always failed. The curse remained despite his most valiant   
efforts. It seemed like it would only be a matter of time before this potential   
cure turned into another bitter disappointment.  
  
"If you two are finished eating," he said, rising from the table, "Let's go."  
  
***  
  
Lina rubbed her shoulders as they walked through the forest. "Ah, sleeping in   
armor is NOT comfortable!"  
  
"At least the weather's good," Gourry commented, massaging his own sore   
shoulders.  
  
Lina took a look around at the peaceful forest. "True, it's a great day to be   
walking through the woods, to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature,..."  
  
"To be stalked by someone on horseback ever since we left the city?" Gourry   
suggested.  
  
"Yes," Lina agreed with a wink, "It's a great day to be stalked." She turned   
around, "Hey, we know you're out there. Why don't you show yourself?"  
  
A man rode out on horseback. He wore full plate, apparently made of silver. A   
red dragon was painted across his breastplate, mirroring the one on his shield.   
His helmet was shaped like a dragon's head, effectively hiding his face.  
  
"A... A..." Amelia stammered, nervously, "A Red Dragon Knight?"  
  
Zelgadis stepped forward. "You don't suppose he's here because of what happened   
at the temple?" he suggested.  
  
"What?" Lina yelled, "What happened at the temple!?!?"  
  
Amelia blushed slightly. "Well, we... um... technically... weren't supposed to   
touch anything."  
  
"Pheh," Zelgadis snorted, "No one was using that shrine anyways, so it's not a   
great loss."  
  
"But they couldn't have found out about the shrine," Amelia protested, "The   
entrance collapsed, remember?"  
  
"True, they might be rather upset for tearing up the pillars in the Great Hall."  
  
Amelia thought for a moment. "We didn't damage the painting THAT much, so I   
doubt it's because of that."  
  
"Perhaps it's because of the statue of Ceiphied we destroyed."  
  
"But that's where we found the passage to the secret temple!"  
  
"They probably would have been more forgiving if we had left more of the secret   
temple intact."  
  
"It's not my fault the rug caught on fire!"  
  
"I'm sorry I asked!" Lina shouted. She turned her attention to the Dragon   
Knight. "What do you want?" she asked.  
  
The Dragon Knight dismounted, and stepped forward. "Gourry Gabriev," he said in   
a commanding voice, "It is time for you to return. Come with me."  
  
"I won't go back," Gourry said, steel in his voice, "I'm not ready."  
  
Lina looked at Gourry. "You know this guy?"  
  
Gourry scratched his head. "Nope," he admitted, "Don't think so."  
  
Everyone facefaulted, including the horse.  
  
"It's me!" the knight shouted, jumping back to his feet, "Delvier!"  
  
Gourry thought, "The messenger back at home?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"My sparring partner when I started learning to fight?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"I got it! The shopkeeper!"  
  
"No!" the knight shouted back, "I'm your-"  
  
"Just kidding, I know who you are," Gourry said lightly, before suddenly getting   
serious again, "And I'm not going back."  
  
There was a loud ring, as Delvier pulled his sword from the scabbard at his   
side. "Very well, then, Gourry. I challenge you!"  
  
Lina began to prepare a spell, and Zelgadis reached for his sword, but Gourry   
waved them back. "This is my fight," he warned them, "Just stay back." With   
that, he drew his own sword and charged the knight. The sound of steel hitting   
steel echoed through the forest.  
  
Lina could only watched amazed. She was a good swordsmen in her own right, but   
Gourry's skills were on a level far beyond hers. She was a sorceress, using her   
sword to back up her spells. Gourry, Lina reminded herself, was a swordsman,   
and one of the best in the land. His easygoing nature made it easy to forget   
it, but Gourry was, in fact, a warrior.  
  
So was his opponent. It was a battle such as Lina had never seen before. They   
were everywhere. The speed, the skill, it was amazing. Delvier showed amazing   
agility, despite his armor, causing Lina to wonder if it was enchanted.  
  
The fight raged on, blow after blow. They danced all around the woods,   
exchanging attacks, and more than one tree was cut down in the process. Neither   
of the warriors seemed to be willing to give an inch, and Lina began to wonder   
how long this would go on.  
  
The sun had reached it's apex, and still the warriors struck at each other.   
Then, it ended. Delvier swung his blade down at Gourry's head, and Gourry lifted   
his own sword to block. But it was a distraction. Time seemed to slow down for   
Lina as she watched Delvier drop his shield, and bring his gauntleted fist hard   
into Gourry's stomach. Gourry bent over in surprise, and the knight slammed the   
hilt of his sword across the back of Gourry's neck. Gourry fell to the ground.  
  
Amelia leapt onto an outcropping rock, and pointed down at Delvier. "Hold it   
right there. In the name of justice, I command you to-"  
  
"Either get out of the way or do something useful!" Lina shouted. She pulled   
back one hand. "FLARE..."  
  
At the same time, Zelgadis thrust his hand forward. "BOMB DE..."  
  
The knight let out a piercing whistle, and the spellcasters had to dive forward   
as the knight's horse leapt over them. Amelia lost her balance and tumbled down   
the hillside.  
  
Lina looked up from the ground in horror. Delvier had thrown Gourry across his   
horse, and was riding off into the woods.  
  
"RAYWING!" Lina shouted, and she took off. She dived from side to side,   
avoiding trees as she chased after Gourry's kidnapper. She was drawing up to   
him, when he looked back at her.  
  
"WIND BRID!"  
  
Lina's eyes went wide. She was flying to fast to dodge it. She felt the   
shockwave strike her head, and everything went black.  
  
***  
  
Lina woke to see Amelia and Zelgadis standing over her. It looked like Amelia   
had been crying. It was evening, and the once clear sky was covered with   
menacing clouds. She blinked. Why was she waking up in the evening?  
  
"Gourry!" she exclaimed as the events of the day returned to her, "Where's   
Gourry?"  
  
"He's... Delvier... Gourry's..." Amelia babbled.  
  
"Why didn't you stop him?" Lina yelled.  
  
"We tried," Zelgadis told her, "But all we found was you." His voice was calm   
and composed. It made Lina want to throttle him. How could he be so calm at a   
time like this?  
  
"Okay," Lina said, taking deep breaths to calm herself, "We'll follow him. I   
mean, a Knight of the Order of the Red Dragon rather sticks out, so he shouldn't   
be too hard to find, right?"  
  
Zelgadis didn't say anything. He got up, and walked away to look back towards   
the road. It wasn't fair. He didn't know what was between Gourry and this   
Delvier guy, but it was a fair bet that it didn't have anything to do with him.   
So why should he have to put his own quest aside for it?  
  
"You okay?" Lina asked.  
  
"I'm fine," he replied, distantly.  
  
"Hey," Lina said cheerfully, putting a hand on his shoulder, "The Crystal Breath   
isn't going anywhere, right?"  
  
"Um..." Amelia said, nervously.  
  
Zelgadis turned to look at her. "What is it?" he asked her.  
  
"Well... the crystal won't stay tuned forever," Amelia said, "After a while, it   
won't be able to pick up on Ceiphied's energy anymore."  
  
"Can't you re-tune it?" Lina asked.  
  
"Only if we have a strong base to tune it with. The temple ruins worked, but I   
don't think they'll let us back in. And most of the temples aren't old enough   
to have that kind of energy. I don't know where we could go to re-tune the   
crystal."  
  
Lina thought for a moment, running a hand through her hair. "Well," she   
decided, "We'll just have to hurry then. The sooner we get Gourry back, the   
sooner we can go search for the Crystal Breath." There was silence. No one was   
quite sure what to say.  
  
Zelgadis clenched his fist. Why did this have to happen? Right when they had   
the most promising lead ever, something had to come along and blow it all to   
dust. Was he cursed? Would he have to sacrifice Gourry's life to find a cure?   
What would happen if he walked away?  
  
Delvier didn't seem to want to hurt Gourry. He had subdued him, when he could   
have done much worse. He mentioned bringing Gourry back somewhere. If Gourry   
had escaped once, he could probably do it again. And didn't Gourry mention 'not   
being ready'? That suggested that Gourry would ultimately go back on his own   
accord. And if Gourry wasn't in any real danger...  
  
"No," Zelgadis said, suddenly.  
  
"What?" Lina asked.  
  
"It's cutting it too close," Zelgadis said, "Gourry's abductor was on horseback.   
It could take months to catch up with him."  
  
Lina blinked in shock. "You're not suggesting we abandon Gourry, are you?"  
  
"Gourry can handle himself," Zelgadis replied.  
  
Lina scowled at him. "In case you didn't notice, Gourry's been KIDNAPPED!"  
  
"Fine!" Zelgadis snapped back, "You don't need my permission to go after him!"  
  
"So that's it?" Lina yelled at him, "You're just going to walk away?"  
  
Zelgadis stepped forward, backing her up against a tree. "Look," he said, "YOU   
offered to help me search for a cure. If you're not going to help, then GO!"  
  
"Excuse me for wanting a little HELP!" Lina shouted back, "We can find another   
cure, but what if something happens to Gourry?"  
  
"JUST GET OUT OF HERE!" Zelgadis roared.  
  
Lina's jaw set. She didn't say anything, she just stormed off in the direction   
Delvier had been headed.  
  
"Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia asked, nervously.  
  
"What?" Zelgadis snapped. Amelia shrank away from him. Zelgadis forced himself   
to calm down. He could feel it. It was pulling at him, feeding his dark   
emotions, waiting for him to succumb. He could feel its frustration as he   
forced the anger away, fortifying his mind with a level of apathy.  
  
"I'm sorry, Amelia," Zelgadis apologized, "I didn't mean to yell at you. Lina   
just doesn't understand. She's too..." Selfish? he thought. That's generally   
what he told himself. But who was being selfish here? Who was leaving a   
companion behind for his own personal goals? He let the thought die. "Which   
way?" he asked.  
  
"Let me check," she said, pulling the crystal out, "SACRED BEACON!" They   
watched until the crystal fixed on a point. "That way," she said, pointing back   
to the path.  
  
***  
  
Lina stormed off through the woods. How could they just abandon Gourry like   
that? How could they abandon HER like that? Fine, let them, she decided. She   
didn't need their help. She could rescue Gourry all on her own. A Dragon   
Knight wouldn't be too much of a threat. If Zelgadis was too insensitive to   
help, so be it.  
  
But was Zelgadis being the insensitive one? a nagging part of her mind asked.   
She had just admitted that she could probably handle this on her own. So why   
should Zelgadis have to sacrifice the cure to help her? She threw that thought   
away, and continued through the woods.  
  
"Things just can't get any worse," she muttered to herself. The heavens, eager   
to prove her wrong, released a downpour of rain, soaking the forest, and any   
traveling sorceresses who happened to be in it.  
  
Lina sighed. "Figures." She pulled her cape over her head and ran, looking for   
shelter. The rain came down so hard, Lina couldn't see an inch in front of her   
face. Yet somehow, she seemed to know where she was going, although she didn't   
realize she had arrived at her destination until she ran headlong into the side   
of a barn.  
  
"Hello?" she called out, "Anyone here?" The only answer was a horse whinnying.   
She placed her hands in front of her. "Light which burns beyond crimson flame,   
let thy power gather in my hand! LIGHTING!"  
  
The horse appeared to be the only living thing in the barn other than Lina   
herself. Sighing, She wrung some of the water out of her cape and laid it on a   
pile of hay to dry. Her overshirt was placed next to it shortly afterwards.  
  
"Hey, there," Lina said, patting the horse's nose. She looked around the barn.   
It wasn't very big, but it was well stocked. For some reason, it seemed oddly   
familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place it.  
  
"Have I been here before?" she mused out loud. She tried to mentally map where   
they had gone. They had been following the coastline east for a while, ever   
since they had heard about the ancient temple that had been unearthed near the   
sea. The Crystal Beacon spell had lead them southeast, but they hadn't gotten   
very far before she started chasing after the Red Dragon Knight. He had headed   
south, so that would put her near...  
  
The thought trailed off as she felt something sharp press against her back.  
  
"Get up slowly, and turn around," a very tense voice said in her ear, "If you   
make any sudden moves, I fire. If you begin any incantations, I fire. Got it?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Lina said, resigned, "I got it." She mentally cursed herself for   
letting her guard down, but she did as he said. At least she could get a look   
at her captor. He was dressed in a dark blue sleeveless tunic, with matching   
pants, and a dark, heavy cloak. She was surprised at how young he was, no older   
than her. Bits of straw clung to his tangled, dirty hair, suggesting that he had   
spent several days in here. His green eyes betrayed his nervousness, glancing   
to each side every so often. There was something unusual about his eyes. They   
looked tired, but there was something wild, almost feral, about his them.  
  
"Give me your sword," he ordered her. Lina slowly moved her hands towards its   
hilt, trying not to give the man anything to mistake for a possible attack.   
"Stop," he snapped, "Get your hand away from there. Take off your belt."  
  
"What?" she said, blushing slightly, "Um... I kind of need that."  
  
"Just do it!" he yelled, raising the crossbow slightly, "Or that will be the   
least of your concerns." Lina sighed as and undid the buckle and removed the   
belt. Sure enough, without her belt, her pants slid to the floor. Glaring   
daggers at him, she thrust the belt and sword at him.  
  
It was then that she noticed the ring he wore. It was made of steel, carved   
into the shape of three intertwined snakes. Lina had seen rings like this one   
before, and she knew what it meant.  
  
"An Assassin?" she asked in disbelief. This statement caused the Assassin's   
eyes to snap back to her, and quickly looked up and down her body, which caused   
her to blush even deeper. Oddly enough, the anxious look in his eyes was   
replaced with one of annoyance.  
  
"Great," he muttered, "An outsider. They couldn't really believe I wouldn't   
kill you just because you're not one of them, could they?" He shook his head in   
disbelief, although the crossbow remained trained on her the entire time. "I'm   
really sorry you had to get involved in this, but I will have to kill..." He   
trailed off, staring.  
  
"Hey!" Lina said, pulling down on her shirt. The Assassin stepped forward and   
reached out with one hand, his other keeping the crossbow aimed at her. "What   
do you think you're doing?" she yelled as he knocked her hand away and grabbed   
her leg, just above the knee. She tried to back away, but collapsed to the   
ground. The Assassin fell with her, dropping the crossbow in the process. The   
crossbow hit the floor and fired its bolt harmlessly into the beam near the   
horse's stall.  
  
"Why you!" she yelled kicking him away, "How dare you-"  
  
"Lina?" he asked, looking at her - her face this time, "Lina Inverse?" There   
was something different in his wild eyes. Some of the tiredness had left, and   
he looked at Lina as if she had been sent by Ceiphied himself. A sweatdrop   
formed on Lina's head, as she backed away from him, only stopping when she   
bumped into the stable wall. "It's okay, it's me," he said, smiling, "You don't   
recognize me, do you?"  
  
"What the hell's gotten in to you?" she screamed, nervously, "First you point a   
crossbow at me, then you try to feel me up, and now you act like we're childhood   
friends!"  
  
"But we are, Lina," he said, "I'm the one who gave you that." He pointed to her   
left leg, the leg he had grabbed. There was a thin scar, barely visible,   
running along her thigh. Lina blinked. She'd had that scar forever. Where did   
she get it? She tried to remember. Images started coming to her. A grassy   
field, a game of soldiers, sticks used as fake swords, a slip, a swing to hard,   
and a boy sobbing an apology, a boy named...  
  
"Tensado?" Lina blinked, "Is it really you? I haven't seen you in... what, six   
years?"  
  
Tensado nodded. "Yeah, six years sounds about right."  
  
"Talk about coincidence," Lina said, "Running into you like this."  
  
"I don't think it's necessarily a coincidence. Whether you realized it or not,   
you probably sought this place out for shelter for the same reasons I did. You   
do know where we are, don't you?"  
  
Lina's eyes went wide as she realized why the barn seemed familiar. "This...   
This is the barn where we'd meet to play, isn't it? Our secret meeting place."  
  
Tensado smiled. "We must have spent more of our first ten years here than we   
did at home."  
  
"So why are YOU in here?"  
  
Tensado stared at her, deciding whether to answer. "Hiding. That's why I   
thought you were sent to kill me at first."  
  
Lina blinked. "What? Why would I want to kill you?"  
  
Tensado ignored her. "They should have sent someone by now. They're normally   
very punctual about these kinds of things."  
  
"What are you..." Lina began, but then a thought occurred to her, "You're   
running from the Guild, aren't you? What did you do?"  
  
Tensado frowned. "I was given a job," he told her, "but I couldn't go through   
with it. I warned the target and gave him a chance to escape, and that was   
that."  
  
"Eh," Lina said, waving a hand dismissively, "You were too good for them   
anyways."  
  
"You never did like the Assassin Guild, did you?"  
  
Lina turned to him. "No, and I still don't. I think a bunch of men in cloaks   
who kill, steal, and do Ceiphied knows what else for anyone willing to pay them   
qualifies as bad guys, don't you?"  
  
"Whatever."  
  
There was an uncomfortable pause. "So what are you going to do now?" Lina   
asked. Tensado didn't answer. "You're not going to just sit in this barn until   
they send someone to kill you, are you?"  
  
"I've been a part of the Assassin Guild my entire life. I don't have anywhere   
to go."  
  
Lina took a deep breath. "What is WRONG with you!" she screamed, "'I don't have   
anywhere to go,' bullshit! I can't stand people with that kind of attitude.   
You don't have anything holding you back! There's nowhere you CAN'T go."  
  
"There's more to it than that," Tensado replied, "It's not that simple."  
  
"It IS that simple," Lina shot back, "And I'll prove it. You're coming with me.   
You're going to help me rescue my friend, and I'm not taking no for an answer."  
  
Tensado thought about that for a minute, before a weak smile crossed his face.   
"All right," he said, "What have I got to lose?"  
  
"That's the spirit!" Lina smiled.  
  
"Thirty gold coins per day," he told her.  
  
Lina blinked. "What?"  
  
"Hey, the normal rate is fifty, but since I don't have to pay Guild fees, and   
you're an old friend, I'm cutting you a deal." Lina stared at him, until he   
suddenly burst out laughing. "I'm joking," he told her, "I wouldn't charge   
you."  
  
"You'd better not!" Lina replied, "Now, if you could do one small thing for   
me..."  
  
"What's that?" he asked. Lina's response was to shove him into a haystack.  
  
"Stay there until I get some pants on."  
  
***  
  
Julo sneezed, then went back to cursing his luck. He was a stablehand at the   
Red Tiger Inn. It was his job to stand next to the door, waiting to take   
patrons' horses to the stable. On a normal day, it was a very boring job. On a   
rainy day like this, it was a cold, wet, and EXTREMELY boring job. It had been   
over an hour since anyone had come to the inn on horseback, and Julo knew that   
the rest of the day would probably pass without a single note-worthy event.  
  
As if fate wanted to prove him wrong, it was just about then that he heard the   
sound of horseshoes hitting the cobbled streets. Julo blinked as a massive   
warhorse became visible through the rain's haze. This wasn't exactly the   
standard mount Julo dealt with, and the rider was just as unusual as the steed.   
Julo could only stare as the armored knight dismounted, and swung a tall,   
blonde, unconscious man over his shoulder.  
  
"Take care of Sky Dancer for me," he told the Julo, tossing a gold sovereign to   
him. Julo was still too stunned to react, and the coin bounced of his chest and   
fell to the ground at his feet. The knight didn't seem to notice, as he was   
busy carrying his unconscious companion into the shelter of the inn. So much   
for an uneventful day, Julo thought to himself.  
  
The tavern went completely silent as Delvier entered. This was to be expected,   
considering the armor he wore, and the man he had draped across his shoulder.   
His height couldn't have lessened the effect, either.  
  
"Delvier!" a man called out from a table in the corner, "Over here!" Delvier   
nodded, and made his way across the common room.  
  
"Ah, Sethis," Delvier greeted his friend, as he approached the table, "Good to   
see you."  
  
"You're late," Sethis said sourly, taking a long swig from his tankard, "I'm   
assuming that's him?" He gestured at the blonde swordsman on Delvier's   
shoulder.  
  
"Yep!" Delvier affirmed, "Hey, mind if I sit down? He's not exactly getting any   
lighter." Without waiting for a response, Delvier dropped Gourry into one of   
the chairs and sat down himself. He pulled his helmet off of his head and shook   
the water out of his long, strawberry-blonde hair. "What a night," he muttered.  
  
"I can see the resemblance," Sethis said, lifting up Gourry's head, "Shave your   
beard, and dye your hair, and you could pass as twins."  
  
"Nah," Delvier laughed, as he flagged down a waitress, "He's much better looking   
than I am."  
  
"Can I help you, sir?" the young waitress said, approaching the table.  
  
Delvier looked at her and smiled. "Well, for starters, you can tell me what a   
beautiful young lady is doing wiping down tables in a backwater place like   
this." The waitress blushed, and started to stammer out a response, but Delvier   
cut him off. "Wait, let me guess. You are really a princess. An evil sorcerer   
fell in love with you, but you refused his advances. Enraged, he exiled you   
from you from your kingdom. You are now in hiding, posing as a simple waitress,   
to support yourself, while you try to scrape up enough tips to hire a mage to   
help your father, who, by the way, was cursed and transformed into a dog." The   
waitress, her face a deep scarlet by this point, let out a nervous laugh.  
  
"Don't worry," Delvier winked, "Your secret is safe with me." He pressed some   
gold coins into her hand. "May your father walk upon two legs again some day.   
Now, as much as it pains me to treat a fair princess as a mere serving girl, you   
do have to remain hidden, so I'd best give you my order. I'd like the roast   
chicken and some ale to wash it down, Dwarven, if you have it. My brother here   
will most likely eat half the contents of your kitchen, so I'd better be sure I   
get his order right." He poked Gourry in the head. "Hey, half-pint!"  
  
"Lemme alone," Gourry mumbled, drooling a bit onto the table.  
  
Delvier shrugged, "I guess I'll have to eat your share, then." This had the   
intended effect, as Gourry's eyes popped open, and soon he was giving his   
monstrous order to the waitress, who tried her best to write it all down.  
  
"May Ceiphied aid you in your plight," Delvier said, slipping a few more coins   
into her apron pouch. The waitress blushed again, and ran off to deliver the   
list of food to the chef.  
  
"You are such a flirt," Sethis told Delvier, "Absolutely shameless." He turned   
to look at Gourry, who was eagerly watching the kitchen door. "Are you sure   
this is the guy we want?"  
  
"I think the prophecy's pretty clear that we need Gourry for this," Delvier   
replied, "And I'm sure the half-pint'll do just fine."  
  
"Hey!" Gourry said, indignantly, "You're barely taller than me, so stop calling   
me 'half-pint'!"  
  
Delvier waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, half-pint."  
  
"So what is it you need me to do?" Gourry asked.  
  
"We're not entirely sure," Delvier told his brother, "Right now, we just need   
you to do what you ran away from four years ago." Gourry frowned at this, but   
Delvier continued. "I let you leave on the condition that you would return.   
Well, we're out of time, so you're coming with us whether you like it or not.   
That being said, I'd prefer it if you came of your own free will." He placed a   
hand on Gourry's. "This is important, Gourry, more important than you could   
imagine."  
  
Gourry was silent for a moment. "All right," he sighed, "If it's that   
important, I'll do it."  
  
***  
  
Amelia and Zelgadis stepped into the crowded roadside inn, dripping more water   
onto the already wet floor. Amelia sighed as she saw Zelgadis lift his mask   
over his face. It must be hard to have to hide himself like that.  
  
(Dear Ceiphied,) she silently prayed, (Please let this cure be real.)  
  
"I'm going to get us a couple of rooms," Zelgadis told her, "Why don't you order   
us dinner." Amelia nodded, and found a table for them. After placing an order,   
she waited for Zelgadis to return, but something seemed strange. The hairs on   
the back of her neck stood on end, and she had the uncanny sensation that   
someone was watching her.  
  
She scanned the room, looking for whoever was watching her. The inn was filled   
with so many people that Amelia doubted she'd be able to find him. Suddenly,   
however, she found herself locking eyes with a man at the corner table. She   
knew he was watching her, but why?  
  
Amelia decided to pay careful attention to him, so she could recognize him if   
they met later. His dark hair was perfectly cut, and his beard neatly trimmed.   
He wore very fancy armor, which he appeared to keep well polished. What truly   
stood out about him, though, was the sack next to him. While everything about   
him was neat and tidy, this sack was the exact opposite. Patched together from   
various animal furs, it had clearly seen better days. Amelia wondered what was   
in it, when Zelgadis stepped in front of her.  
  
"Have you ordered?" he asked, sitting down across from her. She looked back at   
the corner, but the strange man was gone. "What?" Zelgadis asked, noticing the   
glance and looking behind him.  
  
"Oh, nothing," Amelia said, flushing slightly, "Did you get the rooms?"  
  
Zelgadis looked away. "This place is rather full due to the storm, but I was   
able to get us a room."  
  
"Good," Amelia smiled, "Oh, here comes the food." A waiter approached the table   
with a pair of dishes. Amelia almost laughed at how little food they needed   
without the others. Then she did a double take. He had said 'A' room. Why did   
he only get one? Now that Lina and Gourry were gone, did he expect her to...   
She squirmed on her chair. She liked Zelgadis and all, but she wasn't that kind   
of girl. She was a shrine maiden, after all!  
  
Amelia kept glancing nervously at Zelgadis as she picked at her food. She   
couldn't believe he'd be so forward to not even ASK about it. It hurt a bit,   
too, that he thought she would just put out like that.  
  
"Are you all right?" Zelgadis asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.  
  
"What?" she said, sweatdropping, "Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
"Are you sure?" he pressed, "You're face is flushed." He placed a hand on her   
forehead. Despite it's hardness, his hand was still warm, a combination which   
felt rather odd. Amelia felt her face become even redder under his touch.  
  
"I'm fine, really!" Amelia insisted, nervously, "It's just, umm... really stuffy   
in here, you know with all the people around and everything." It was saying   
that which made her realize it: the inn was very crowded, so Zelgadis was   
probably only able to get one room. She chided herself for jumping to   
conclusions, and thinking Zelgadis would do something like that.  
  
Zelgadis finished his meal and stood up. "Let's go to bed." Amelia fell out of   
her chair at this. "Are you sure you're all right?" he asked her, helping her   
on to her feet.  
  
"I'm okay," she said, rubbing her sore backside, "Just tired." As they made   
their way through the crowds to the stairs, Amelia again got that strange   
sensation of being watched. She quickly turned around, but if the fine-dressed   
man was still there, she couldn't see him.  
  
The room was small, but cozy, obviously intended for only one person. A bed   
took up one corner of the room. The only other furniture in the room was a   
dresser with a mirror.  
  
"You can have the bed," Zelgadis told her.  
  
"Um... where will you sleep?" she asked. The entire situation made her very   
nervous and self-conscious. She wished that Lina or Gourry were here, so it   
wouldn't just be the two of them.  
  
"I'll sleep on the floor."  
  
"Will you be all right?" Amelia asked, with genuine concern.  
  
Zelgadis nodded. "I'll be fine." He gave a wry smile as he rapped his knuckles   
on one of his stone shoulders. "With skin like this, it doesn't make much of a   
difference." He looked out the window into the stormy night. "Let's turn in.   
I'd like to get an early start tomorrow."  
  
"Okay," Amelia agreed, as she started to rummage through her pack. After a   
little bit of searching, she pulled out her pajamas. As she turned to Zelgadis,   
she could feel the blood returning to her face. "Um... could you..."  
  
"What?" Zelgadis blinked, before he realized what she was asking. To Amelia's   
surprise, he blushed a little bit, too. "I'll, um, wait outside." Once   
Zelgadis was out of the room, Amelia began to change clothes. She winced as she   
pulled off her shirt. Looking in the mirror, she could see several scrapes and   
small bruises on her back, souvenirs from the tumble she took down the hill that   
morning. Nothing serious, she noted, so she pulled her pajamas on, and stuffed   
her clothing into her pack.  
  
She sighed as she pulled out Grizzly-chan, a ragged teddy bear that she'd had   
for as long as she could remember. Grizzly-chan had helped her get to sleep   
even when she was away from home, learning to be a shrine maiden, or when she   
was out on the trail, serving justice. But what would Zelgadis think if he   
found out she still had a teddy bear. She held Grizzly-chan for a moment,   
before she returned him to her pack. She didn't really NEED him, and it was   
only one night.  
  
"Ready!" she called, smiling, as she jumped out into the hallway. This got them   
odd looks from the other patrons in the hall, but Zelgadis didn't seem to   
notice.  
  
"Took you long enough," Zelgadis commented, as he went into the room to get   
changed himself. Amelia stood in the hall, giving nervous smiles to the people   
who stared at her as they passed. Fortunately, it wasn't long before Zelgadis   
opened the door, and Amelia stepped back into the room.  
  
There was an awkward silence until Amelia spoke up. "Let's get your bed set up,   
then," she suggested, pulling the larger of the two comforters onto the floor.  
  
"That's not really necessary," he told her, but Amelia shook her head.  
  
"It's bad enough that I'm going to be sleeping in the bed while you're on the   
floor," she explained, "At least I can give you something so you don't have to   
sleep directly on the floor." She spread the comforter over the floor. "There   
you go," she said with a smile.  
  
"Thank you," Zelgadis said. Amelia hopped into the bed as Zelgadis blew out the   
candles that lit the room. Using his pack as a pillow and his cape as a   
blanket, Zelgadis settled down on his makeshift bed. "Good night, Amelia," he   
called out.  
  
"Good night, Mr. Zelgadis," came Amelia's drowsy response.  
  
Zelgadis wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but a creaking floorboard brought him   
back to consciousness. He tried to look around, but it was too dark to make   
anything out. His sword was only a few feet away, but he was hesitant to make   
any moves, in case the intruder could see better than he could. He lay there,   
perfectly still, listening for any sounds that might tell him what the intruder   
was doing, but all he could hear was the patter of the rain on the inn's roof.  
  
There was a pull at his cape, and something slid under it with him. A bolt of   
lightning lit up the room, and he saw Amelia's face only inches from his. He   
felt her arms wrap around his shoulders, as she pulled herself closer.  
  
His mind reeled. What was she doing? Part of him marveled at the idea that   
someone like her could like him, in spite of his monstrous appearance. If she   
felt this way, strongly enough to come to him in the middle of the night, then   
he'd be a fool to reject her. He'd probably never meet another woman who could   
look past his stony exterior, and if this cure failed, like all the others had,   
he'd be doomed.  
  
Another part of him, however, screamed against it. This was Amelia he was   
dealing with. She was still a child. Did she know what she was getting into?   
He doubted it. There was an innocence about her that was hard to find in this   
world. He couldn't take that away. It wasn't right, was it?  
  
Or was it her decision to cast aside that innocence for whatever would come   
next? If this was what she truly wanted...  
  
"Amelia?" he whispered.  
  
"Grizzly-chan," she murmured. Zelgadis shook his head. She had been   
sleepwalking. He was a fool. Trying his best not to wake her, he gently picked   
her up and placed her back on the bed.  
  
"Sweet dreams, Amelia," he said softly, as he pulled the comforter over her.  
  
"G'night, Grizzly-chan," she said, drowsily. Zelgadis couldn't help but smile   
as he returned to his own bed.  
  
"Yeah," Amelia continued to talk in her sleep, "I like Mr. Zelgadis. He's a   
nice guy inside... I think he looks cool like he is, don't you?... I hope this   
spell works, though... I hope... I can... help... him..." After that, she   
rolled over, and was silent.  
  
You really are a fool, he told himself, but you're lucky to have her. Women   
like her were one in a million.  
  
  
  
To be continued...  
  



	2. Getting There is Half the Fun

Hey, hey! Well, here it is, my first Slayers fan fic (which, by the way, is   
owned by Kadokawa Shoten and TV Tokyo) and my first non-Tenchi fic, too. Tell   
me what you think, because I really want to know.  
  
Special thanks go out to my pre-readers: Davner, Drakstern, Fish, Little  
Masa-ouki, Big D, Tamysan, and Will Z.  
  
Lina: Well, the four of us had teamed up again in hopes of finding a cure for   
Zelgadis's... condition.  
  
Amelia: And it looked like we found a really good lead, too!  
  
Lina: Yeah, unfortunately, some weird knight showed up and ran off with Gourry!   
And to make matters worse, Zelgadis and Amelia abandoned me!  
  
Amelia: (sweatdrops) You're not still mad about that are you? This could be   
Mr. Zelgadis's only chance to be human again.  
  
Lina: Yeah, yeah.  
  
Amelia: Anyways, Lina took shelter from the rain in an old barn, where she ran   
into an old friend of hers, Tensado. Meeting a childhood friend like that, it   
must be destiny!  
  
Lina: While I had to hole up in a barn, Amelia and Zelgadis got to spend the   
night in a nice cozy room at a roadside inn.  
  
Amelia: (sweatdrops again) Don't say it like that! You make it sound like   
something happened!  
  
Gourry: Isn't anyone going to mention that the strange knight is actually my   
brother, who's got some strange plans for me that I don't understand?  
  
Lina: Who cares? You're not even in this chapter!  
  
Amelia: (sighs) Let's just get on with the fic.  
  
***  
  
Slayers GO!  
Chapter 2: Getting There is Half the Fun!  
  
It was early morning. The sun had risen, and Tensado was awake, watching Lina's   
sleeping form. Before you go thinking this was a romantic moment, it was   
anything but; Lina was sprawled out over a haystack, filling the entire barn   
with her snores and drooling more than a little bit. Tensado's eyes left Lina   
and wandered up, as if looking at something beyond the barn roof.  
  
"Ceiphied?" he asked tentatively, "From what I've gathered, you can hear me, and   
I just wanted to say thanks. I don't know why you did this, but I'm grateful,   
and if there's anything I can do for you, don't hesitate to ask." At this   
point, Lina let out a very loud snore. "I have to admit, though, your choice of   
messengers is a bit odd."  
  
Tensado hummed tunelessly as he prepared breakfast. Unless Lina had changed   
since he had last known her, and this was one aspect of Lina that he doubted   
could be changed, the smell of food would wake her right up. Sure enough,   
moments later she was wolfing down the freshly prepared food.  
  
"You know," Lina said, through a mouthful of sausage, "I probably should stop by   
and see my sister. She'll-" Lina stopped to swallow before continuing.   
"She'll kill me if she found out I was in town and didn't say hi."  
  
Tensado thought about exactly what to say carefully before finally speaking.   
"Actually, Lina, Luna isn't in town right now."  
  
Lina was halfway through another sausage at this point. "Really? I didn't   
think she'd leave the restaurant."  
  
"I've kept in contact with her the past couple of years. About a month ago, a   
couple of Red Dragon Knights showed up." As he said that, Lina looked up at him   
suspiciously. Tensado shrugged. "Didn't seem like bad people to me. They   
apparently though she was in danger here," he explained, "They insisted she come   
with them somewhere safe."  
  
Lina stared at him. "Where?" she asked.  
  
Tensado merely shook his head. "I didn't ask. I thought it was better if I   
didn't know. It was a good thing they came, though. A week later she was put   
up as a target."  
  
Lina choked on the sausage she was eating. "WHAT? Who's paying for it? I'm   
gonna go give 'em a piece of my mind!"  
  
"That's the funny part," he told her, "As far as I can tell, this is being put   
up by the Guildmaster. There's been a lot of funny stuff going on lately, like   
we," he stopped and corrected himself, "like THEY are preparing for something   
big. I think the contract on your sister might be part of whatever it is."  
  
Lina frowned. She didn't get along very well with Luna, but they were still   
sisters, and she definitely didn't like the idea of assassins coming after her.   
At least Luna had gotten out of there in time. Still, she had to wonder if the   
Red Dragon Knights who came to escort her out of the city had any connection to   
the one who kidnapped Gourry.  
  
"Hey," she said, "I don't suppose you saw a Red Dragon Knight come by the other   
day." Tensado shook his head. "Didn't think so." It had been a long shot.   
She had filled him in on the details of Gourry's abduction the night before, and   
he hadn't mentioned seeing one then.  
  
"I can ask around a bit," Tensado said pensively, "I have a couple of contacts   
that I THINK won't turn me in to the Guild." Tensado smiled in spite of   
himself. All his life he had lived with the guild. It gave him power and   
control over ordinary people. It gave him protection, and insurance. With the   
Guild, he always knew exactly what he was doing, and where he was going. That   
was all gone now. His life had descended into absolute chaos, and he couldn't   
stop smiling.  
  
Lina seemed to notice this, too, for she gave him an odd look. "All right,   
let's go see these friends of yours. The longer we wait, the farther away from   
us that knight will get."  
  
***  
  
Amelia stretched her arms and let out a tremendous yawn. Still not quite awake,   
she started towards the window to look out at the morning. Halfway from the bed   
to the window, however, she tripped. She cried out in alarm and flailed her   
arms wildly, but neither of these actions did anything to slow her descent to   
the floor.  
  
"Oi," Zelgadis said, sitting up from the floor, "Watch where you're going!"  
  
"Sorry!" Amelia said, embarrasedly, "I just wanted to see if the storm had   
cleared up. I guess I forgot you were there." Zelgadis sighed. She was such a   
klutz. Still, she was his only lead on the most promising cure he had found so   
far.  
  
"Forget it," he told her, "Let's just go."  
  
They took turns getting dressed, like they had the night before, and, after a   
quick breakfast, they left the roadside inn to continue their journey. Neither   
of them noticed the well-dressed man who watched them as they left.  
  
***  
  
"Well?" Kenno asked, "Are you ready to go after her yet? Any of my other men   
would have left the moment I gave the order, but not you. I would almost swear   
that you enjoy making things complicated, Jenso."  
  
Jenso smiled, ignoring his boss's taunts. "And yet, fully aware of this, you   
still choose me for the most important of your tasks. Obviously, the results I   
bring make up for the 'complications' I add."  
  
"If you delay any longer, I may change my mind," Kenno told the spirit shaman.  
  
"I have conversed with the spirits, and they have told me about the Bandit   
Killer. Even now she prepares to venture into Zefielia, in search of   
information."  
  
"Is that all your spirits have told you?" Kenno snapped, "We already knew that!   
Do you take pleasure in vexing me?"  
  
"I understand your impatience, my Lord," the spirit shaman said calmly, "But I   
would ask you bear with me. The spirits have told me other things as well. The   
thing the Bandit Killer searches for is no longer within Zefielia. She shall   
journey to the south if she wishes to find it. The Wolf Spirit has an unusually   
heavy presence, though, and I am not sure why."  
  
"I'm sure that means more to you than it does to me," Kenno said, dryly, "If you   
care to elaborate, then by all means, go ahead."  
  
"The Wolf Spirit and I do not get along," Jenso explained, continuing to show   
his endless patience, "His presence is very strong around Lina, but he will not   
tell me why. He has informed me that he shall kill me."  
  
Kenno sat back in his golden throne. "You seem rather calm for a man who has   
just foreseen his own death," he observed.  
  
"I do not take the boasting of the Wolf Spirit seriously. The spirits can tell   
me of the present, but their words of the future is merely their own   
speculation."  
  
Kenno sighed. "As fascinating as I find your relationship with the spirits, I   
am a very busy man at the moment. Are you ready to go, or should I ask one of   
my other lieutenants?" Kenno looked at his shaman dangerously.  
  
"No, my Lord," Jenso said quickly. He reminded himself that while he was a man   
of patience, his Lord was not. "I shall prepare to meet her when she leaves the   
city. The spirits exist most strongly where nature is undisturbed. I am sure   
you would agree it would make sense to meet such an admirable opponent where I   
am strongest."  
  
"Yes," Kenno nodded, "Very prudent. The testing grounds should make her an easy   
target, but do NOT underestimate her. I want her dead, do you understand?"  
  
"Of course, my Lord," the spirit shaman replied.  
  
"Then go!"  
  
***  
  
"So who are we going to meet?" Lina asked, as the two of them walked down the   
streets of Zefielia.  
  
"His name's Len," Tensado said, "He sits outside the Red Tiger Inn begging for   
coins while stealing from anyone generous enough to come close. He also lies,   
cheats at dice, and sleeps with women of questionable repute."  
  
"Gee," Lina said dryly, "What are his good points?"  
  
Tensado thought for a moment. "As far as I can tell, those ARE his good   
points," he smiled, before becoming serious, "He's good for information, though,   
and he won't lie to me. He knows what I'll do to him if he lies to me."  
  
Lina repressed a shudder at that comment. Tensado was a nice guy; it was hard   
to believe he was, until recently, an assassin.  
  
She shoved those thoughts out of her mind, only to have them replaced my even   
more worrisome thoughts: her sister. She wasn't sure if she was glad that her   
sister wasn't in the Red Tiger Inn or not. On one hand, it meant she didn't   
have to deal with her. On the other hand, though, Lina was worried about her.   
Why was the Assassin Guild after her? And why was the Order of the Red Dragon   
protecting her?  
  
At the same time, she also had to wonder if this was connected to Gourry's   
abduction, and if it was, then how?  
  
Tensado apparently figured out what was on Lina's mind, for not shortly after he   
started talking. "You know, it's possible that Red Dragon Knight took your   
friend for the same reason they took Luna. I haven't seen any orders for - What   
was his name? Oh right, Gourry. Anyways, I haven't heard of anything, but I've   
been holed up in that barn for two weeks."  
  
"I just wish I knew what was going on," Lina sighed, before screaming out loud,   
"I HATE BEING LEFT IN THE DARK!!!"  
  
Tensado winced. "Itai! You don't have to yell," he told her, "At least we know   
SOMETHING."  
  
"Yeah?" the redheaded sorceress grumbled, "What's that?"  
  
"There appears to be at least two opposing teams: the Order of the Red Dragon,   
and the Assassin Guild. Either the Guild wants to accomplish something that the   
Order doesn't like, or Luna can do something that the Order wants, but the Guild   
doesn't. Your friend might be in a similar situation."  
  
Lina kicked a stone. She wasn't in the mood to go over things logically, but it   
was better than just sulking. "So why did they kidnap Gourry, then? Why not   
talk to him about it?"  
  
Tensado pondered that for a bit. "Well, again, we don't have much to go on, but   
I can guess a few possibilities. Maybe the Order is afraid Gourry would try to   
attack the guild, rather than go into hiding."  
  
"Gourry WOULD be that stupid," Lina conceded.  
  
"We don't know if the Order is the good guys, either," the ex-assassin pointed   
out, as they approached the inn, "The only thing we know for sure is that they   
want Luna and Gourry for something. The fact that they attacked and abducted   
him suggests that they're going to go through with their plans, whether Gourry   
agrees or not."  
  
"Once we catch up with Delvier, we can ask him," Lina sighed. She really did   
not like this situation, but at the moment there wasn't much she could do about   
it. "So where's this Len guy, anyway?"  
  
"He should be around here somewhere," the young man replied, scanning the area   
until he spotted the urchin. "Oi, Len!" he called out. Len, who was reaching   
for the purse of an unsuspecting tourist, quickly pulled his hand backed and   
smiled, nervously.   
  
"Ah, Tensado!" he said, forcing a smile, "I haven't seen ya in a while. Whatcha   
been up to?"  
  
Tensado smiled back, but it wasn't a friendly smile. "Leave the talking to me,"   
he whispered to Lina, "And agree to anything I say." Lina nodded, and he turned   
his attention back to Len. "You know I can't tell you that, Len. Now, why   
don't we cut the chit-chat and get down to business?"  
  
Len's grinned widened a bit, showing his yellowed teeth. "A good idea, if'n ya   
ask me. Now, what's it ya want to know?"  
  
"Have any Red Dragon Knights passed through the area lately?" Tensado asked.  
  
Len looked appraisingly at Tensado. "How much it worth to ya?"  
  
Tensado's eyes narrowed. "You know how it works, Len," he said, "I pay you for   
the information you have, not the questions I ask. Tell me what you know, and   
I'll pay you for what it's worth to me."  
  
"Right, right," Len said agreeably, "There were two of 'em in this very inn last   
night."  
  
"Good," Tensado nodded, "Describe them."  
  
"The first one was a short, stocky fellow. Real serious and all that. Almost   
cut my hand off when I was..." Len looked around nervously, "well, that's not   
important."  
  
"And the other one?" Tensado asked.  
  
"'Bout as opposite of the first fellow as you could get. Really tall. Light-  
hearted, too. Laughed a lot, y'know. He came in late last night with a blonde   
fellow on his horse."  
  
Tensado was silent for a moment. "I need to know where he was going."  
  
"You're in luck," Len smiled, "This is valuable information, though, keep that   
in mind. I overheard 'em talkin'. The short one was gettin' a mite impatient,   
he told the guy to hurry up an' bring the blonde down to Seyruun."  
  
To Lina's surprise, Tensado reached out and slapped the beggar on the side of   
the head. "Not that one, you simpleton, the first one."  
  
"Sorry," Len said, giving Tensado an angry look, "That one said somethin' 'bout   
goin' to check on a knight or something over in Elmekia."  
  
"Thank you," Tensado said politely, "That's all I need to know." He turned to   
Lina. "Give him a few coins for his time."  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"That was the deal," Tensado said, giving her a meaningful look, "Fifty coins   
per day, plus expenses. This is an expense. Pay the man."  
  
Lina sighed. "Yeah, yeah," grumbled as she dug out a few coins and tossed them   
onto the street in front of Len.  
  
"Don't worry, ma'am," he said reassuringly, "You'll get your money's worth."  
  
Len leered at her, which made the young sorceress rather uncomfortable. "That   
short one stand her up or somethin'?" he asked.  
  
Tensado leaned over him to whisper, but Lina's sharp ears caught every word.   
"What have I told you about asking questions? I'm here to get information, not   
give it. I'd keep that bit under your hat, if I were you. You start spreading   
rumors that SHE was turned down by a lowly knight, and you might be my next   
contract, and I really wouldn't want to have to kill a friend."  
  
Len swallowed, nervously. "Won't tell a soul, I swear!"  
  
"A wise decision," Tensado said, as he took Lina's arm and led her away from the   
inn.  
  
*Whap!*  
  
"Itai," Tensado said, rubbing his head where Lina had hit him, "What was that   
for?"  
  
"Next time tell me when you're going to do that!" Lina said, angrily, "What was   
all of that for, anyways."  
  
Tensado continued to massage the back of his head. "Len probably doesn't know   
that I'm not working with the Guild anymore, so in order to keep him from   
getting suspicious, I had to pretend you were my client. If he figures out that   
I've gone free-lance, he'll turn me in to the Guild as soon as possible."  
  
"So you faked interest in the other knight to throw him off our trail," Lina   
concluded.  
  
"Precisely," Tensado said with a wink  
  
***  
  
Amelia sang as she skipped down the forest path. "This is the song that never   
ends..."  
  
A large vein was throbbing on Zelgadis's head.  
  
"It goes on and on my friends..."  
  
Zelgadis clenched a fist, in an attempt to control himself.  
  
"People started singing it, not knowing what it was..."  
  
Several more throbbing veins appeared on Zelgadis's forehead.  
  
"Now they keep on singing it forever just-"  
  
Zelgadis snapped.  
  
"STOP SINGING THAT DAMN SONG!" Zelgadis yelled. Amelia eeped and came to a stop   
in mid-stride, which is a bad idea when one is skipping.  
  
"Itai!" Amelia said, picking herself up off the ground.  
  
"Please," Zelgadis said, rubbing his temples, "That song is REALLY annoying."  
  
"Really," a sly voice said from the side of the road. They looked to the side to   
see Xellos standing there, smiling as usual. "I thought it was a rather catchy   
tune." He began to hum.  
  
Zelgadis threw his sword at the Mazoku. Xellos disappeared at the last second,   
and the sword embedded itself in the tree, wobbling back and forth for a few   
seconds.  
  
"That's what I missed about traveling with you, Mister Zelgadis," Xellos said,   
appearing on a branch of one of the many trees that surrounded them, "Your...   
cutting wit."  
  
"Why are you here?" Zelgadis snapped, as he retrieved his sword.  
  
"Really," Xellos said, sounding slightly insulted, "I would have thought you   
knew me better than that, but since you asked..." He bent forward, cupping a   
hand to the side of his mouth in a conspiratorial fashion. "The reason I'm here   
is..." Amelia leaned in to listen. Xellos stood up and smiled. "A secret!"  
  
Amelia facefaulted.  
  
"Don't tell me you didn't see that coming?" Zelgadis said disdainfully, "He's   
just here to cause trouble."  
  
"Oh," Xellos said, frowning slightly, "You figured it out."  
  
Zelgadis ignored him, and began down the path. "Let's go, Amelia."  
  
"Bye, Mr. Xellos!" Amelia called out as she ran to catch up with the chimera.  
  
"Oh," Xellos called after them, "You might want to watch out for the..." There   
was a loud clang of metal against stone as iron teeth sprang from the ground   
into Zelgadis's leg. "Bear trap," Xellos finished, "Yareyare."  
  
"What kind of sadistic bastard puts a bear trap in the middle of a forest road?"   
Zelgadis muttered, as he bent down to pull the trap apart. He screamed out as   
electricity crackled around the trap, running up his leg in great arcs.  
  
"Sadistic appears to be the right word," Xellos observed.  
  
The lightning stopped, and Zelgadis collapsed to the ground, panting.  
  
"Are you all right?" Amelia asked, rushing to his side. Zelgadis didn't answer.   
Sitting up, he again attempted to force the trap open. He gritted his teeth as   
the trap electrocuted him again.  
  
"Apparently, it reacts to any attempt to open it," he noted.  
  
"So you're trapped?" the princess exclaimed, "There must be some way to open   
it!"  
  
"Dammit," Zelgadis swore between clenched teeth. Amelia blinked. The electricity   
had stopped, yet Zelgadis appeared to still be in pain. She bent down to examine   
the trap, and her heart jumped. Zelgadis was bleeding. The metal teeth of the   
trap had somehow managed to cut through the chimera's impossibly hard skin.  
  
Zelgadis swore again. Something was wrong, and not just the fact that the trap   
had broken through his skin. He felt hot. It was only early spring, he thought,   
it shouldn't be that warm out. Everything was blurry. It felt like his blood was   
evaporating.  
  
Amelia gasped as Zelgadis fell unconscious. She turned to Xellos, tears in her   
eyes. "What's going on, Mr. Xellos?" she asked, "What is this trap?"  
  
Xellos examined the trap himself. He nodded and hmmmed and muttered to himself   
as he looked at it from different angles.  
  
"Well?" Amelia asked impatiently.  
  
"Well what?" Xellos asked.  
  
"What do you think?" Amelia said.  
  
"What do I think about what?" Xellos responded curiously.  
  
Amelia sweatdropped. "About the trap!"  
  
"What trap?"  
  
"The trap on Mr. Zelgadis's leg!"  
  
"What about it?"  
  
"What do you think about it?!" Amelia practically screamed.  
  
"What do I think about what?" Xellos asked.  
  
"What do you think about the trap on Mr. Zelgadis's leg!!!" she yelled.  
  
"Well the handiwork is very nice," Xellos smiled, "It's hard to find   
craftsmanship like this these days."  
  
"That's not what I meant!" Amelia cried, falling into a sitting position. She   
sniffed loudly twice before bursting into full tears.  
  
Xellos blinked in confusion. For several moments, he stood there, watching   
Amelia sitting in the middle of the road, crying her eyes out. Finally, he   
tentatively reached out a hand and gently patted her on the shoulder. Amelia   
wrapped her arms around him and cried into his robes.  
  
"There, there," Xellos said in what he hoped was a reassuring voice, "I was only   
kidding. The trap is obviously enchanted to cut through anything, even Mr.   
Zelgadis's leg. And it was apparently poisoned as well."  
  
Amelia looked up at him with teary eyes. "So what can we do?" she sniffed, "We   
have to get that trap off his leg but..."  
  
Xellos got the feeling she was about to start crying again. "Just because we   
can't open it," he said quickly, "Doesn't mean we can't break it. You know, if   
you freeze metal enough, it becomes brittle."  
  
Amelia brightened. "What a great idea!" she exclaimed. She gave Xellos a big hug   
before turning her attention to Zelgadis and the trap. Xellos thought for a   
moment, before concluding that the female mind was a much greater mystery than   
any of his 'secrets.'  
  
Amelia knelt down and pulled Zelgadis's leg onto her lap.  
  
"FREEZE ARROW!" she called out, summoning a bolt made of ice. She took the bolt   
in her hands and drove it down onto the bear trap. Ice sprung forth, wrapping   
around the metal jaws until the entire trap was covered in frost. She looked   
around for something she could use to break the trap, finally settling for   
Zelgadis's sword.  
  
Xellos had taken a position sitting on a tree branch where he could view the   
entire scene from above. He watched with interest as Amelia removed the sword   
and sheath from Zelgadis's belt. Standing up, Amelia brought the end of the   
sword to rest on the frozen trap. She raised the sword, and brought it down as   
hard as she could, where it bounced of the trap with a dull ring.  
  
Amelia frowned, but she was not the type to give up so easily. Spitting on her   
hands, she lifted the sword higher this time, so the hilt was level with her   
face. Again, however, she didn't have enough force to break the trap.  
  
"Ceiphied," she whispered in prayer, "Please give me strength." She raised the   
sword as high as she could, until it was over her head, and she lost balance and   
fell over backwards.  
  
"Why don't I help you," Xellos said, appearing over Zelgadis's inert form. He   
brought his staff down, almost imperceptibly, on the trap, which shattered like   
a ceramic bowl.  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Xellos," Amelia said, smiling at him, "You're not that bad for a   
Mazoku."  
  
"Please," Xellos said, pretending to be hurt, "I go out of my way to help you,   
and you insult me." He smiled.  
  
"RECOVERY!" A ball of white energy appeared before the princess's hand, which   
she directed into the wounds on Zelgadis's leg. She hoped that healing his   
chimera skin was easier than harming it. To her relief, the spell worked, and   
the punctures closed and disappeared.  
  
"DICLEARY!" she said, drawing on holy energy to purge the poison from his body.   
She could feel the poison as it left, and she could feel traces left behind,   
traces that resisted the holy might she drew upon. She frowned. She had done   
all she could, but Zelgadis didn't look much better. She had to take him to a   
professional healer, but how? She turned to the Mazoku who stood there watching   
her.  
  
"Mr. Xellos," she said, clasping her hands in front of her, and giving him one   
of her biggest smiles.  
  
She wants something, part of Xellos's mind told him.  
  
No, he thought back, She's just grateful that I helped Zelgadis, that's all.   
Humans are odd like that.  
  
I wouldn't be too sure.  
  
"You've been such a great help," she told the Demon, "And I can't thank you   
enough."  
  
See? he thought, Just like I said.  
  
"But I was wondering if you could to me one more teeny favor," she said, holding   
out to fingers barely separated, as if to show how small the favor was.  
  
***  
  
Amelia continued to skip down the road.  
  
"Thank you so much," she said to the Mazoku priest.  
  
"Don't... mention it...," Xellos grunted, as he slowly made his way down the   
path, carrying the unconscious chimera on his back. The HEAVY unconscious   
chimera. "Yareyare," he sighed, "How did I get into this?"  
  
I told you, that part of his mind taunted.  
  
Shut up.  
  
Pretty soon, Amelia began to sing again. "This is the song that never ends..."  
  
Xellos watched her for a moment or two, before he shrugged and joined in.  
  
***  
  
"Do you see them?" Tensado asked quietly, without breaking his stride at all.   
They had left Zefielia a while ago, and had recently entered the forest. They   
hadn't made it far before Tensado's sharp eyes picked out a group of creatures   
waiting in ambush.  
  
"Yeah," Lina said. She too, acted casual to avoid letting their would-be   
ambushers know they had been spotted. "About a dozen of them in the bushes on   
the left." She wrinkled her nose. "Beserkers by the smell of it."  
  
"If we wait until we're close enough, we can blind them with a quick lighting   
spell," Tensado suggested, "We could be past them before they know what hit   
them."  
  
Lina, however, wasn't listening. She brought both hands in front of her and   
began to chant.  
  
"Origin of all power, glittering burning red flame, gather to my hands and be my   
power."  
  
Tensado sighed. "I suppose that will work, too."  
  
"FIREBALL!" Lina smiled wickedly as she launched the crimson orb at the   
beserkers. Their screams filled the air as fire engulfed them. The nearby   
trees burst into flame, as well. The fire spread from tree to tree at an   
alarming rate.  
  
Lina's smile faded. "What's going on?" she cried out, "Isn't it a bit WET for   
this?" The fire spread along the path, too, and soon they were surrounded by   
the blaze.  
  
"It's a trap," Tensado said, shaking his head.  
  
"I can't believe I walked into that one," Lina groaned, "Oh well, simple   
solution." She held out her hand, palm forward. "MOS VARIM!" A ball of light   
flew from her hand into the fire, extingishing every ember around it.   
Unfortunately, as soon as it had passed, the flames spread back into the   
extinguished area again.  
  
"It's too big," she sighed, "We'd better run. There's a clear path over there."   
She took off through the burning forest. Tensado quickly followed suit.  
  
"You are aware that this is exactly what they want us to do, right?" Tensado   
asked as he ran up beside her.  
  
"Better than burning to a crisp," she pointed out, "We'll deal with whatever's   
next when it comes up." Tensado couldn't really argue with her logic, and the   
two of them ran down the only available path through the inferno. "Over there,"   
she said, pointing to a cave in the hillside.  
  
Tensado slowed down. He didn't like caves in the best of situations, and the   
fact that he knew someone was out to kill them only added to his aprehension. A   
burning branch came crashing down behind him, scattering embers onto his cloak,   
and he decided that the cave was still preferable to burning alive.  
  
The inside of the cave was filled with a heavy, white fog, which almost seemed   
to glow. Anything farther than five feet was blocked out by the thick mist.  
  
"Strange place," Lina said as she peered at what she could see of the cave   
walls. Tensado didn't respond. Lina turned to see her old friend standing just   
inside the cave entrance, silouetted by the raging fire behind him. "Something   
wrong?" Lina asked.  
  
"I don't like caves," he said in a dead voice, "Small places make me nervous,   
remember?"  
  
"Don't tell me you're still afraid of being trapped in," Lina laughed, "Get over   
it. This cave has been here for hundreds of years, and it will probably be here   
a hundred years from now." Lina shook her head. "You'd never catch me with a   
silly little phobia like that."  
  
Tensado took a tentative step into the cave, looking around. "I suppose that's   
a good thing," he said, with the smallest trace of a smile, "Because a place   
this damp is probably crawling with slugs."  
  
"W-what?" Lina began to sweat. "You... you really think so?"  
  
"Definitely," Tensado grinned, "But it doesn't really matter, right? It's not   
like you have any 'silly little phobias' or anything."  
  
Lina rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Let's just get out of here as   
quickly as possible. Someone set this all up, and I don't like that." She   
looked down the dark cavern. "First, let's get some light. LIGHTING!" Nothing   
happened. "LIGHTING!" she said again, but still no light appeared.  
  
"It's not... 'that time,' is it?" Tensado suggested, uncomfortably.  
  
"NO, IT'S NOT 'THAT TIME!'" Lina yelled hitting him on the head.  
  
"Could have fooled me," Tensado muttered under his breath. "Let me try.   
LIGHTING!" But he had no more success than Lina had. "Very odd. Fortunately,   
I have a couple of torches." He searched through his pack, and a produced a   
pair of torches, and a piece of flint. The moisture in the air made it hard to   
light the torches, but after a couple of tries, the oily rags caught. He used   
the torch to light the other one, and handed it to Lina. Torches in hand, the   
two of them began to explore the cave.  
  
"This cave just gets weirder and weirder," Tensado noted.  
  
Lina blinked. "What now?"  
  
"Look at the walls, and tell me what you see."  
  
Lina examined the wall for a while, but she couldn't find anything unusual about   
it. "I don't see anything," she admitted. Her eyes widened. "You're right! A   
place this damp should be covered in fungus."  
  
Tensado nodded. "It's almost as if this fog wasn't here until recently," he   
mused out loud, "But that just doesn't make any sense."  
  
"Well," Lina said, as she made her way down the cavern, "We'll just have to add   
that to the list of questions for when we find whoever set up this trap, won't   
we?"  
  
***  
  
"Come on, Mr. Xellos," Amelia called down the road, "Hurry up, we're almost   
there!"  
  
"Easy for you to say," Xellos sighed, shifting Zelgadis on his back. "I bet you   
don't even thank me for this," he told the unconscious chimera. Xellos   
continued to make his way to the cabin, where Amelia was waiting impatiently.   
From what they had been told, the owner of the cabin acted as a doctor to the   
farms that surrounded them. A good thing, too, for they were far away from any   
real cities.  
  
Amelia knocked on the front door, and after a short wait, an grandmotherly old   
lady opened the door.  
  
"Hmmm," the woman said, looking Amelia up and down, "Haven't seen you around   
before, dearie. Are you new to town?"  
  
"Just passing through," Amelia told her.  
  
The woman looked stunned. "What?" she said, shaking her head, "A young girl   
like you shouldn't be traveling alone. It's just not proper."  
  
Amelia sweatdropped. Not proper? What was that supposed to mean? "Um, don't   
worry," she told woman, "I'm not alone. My friends are right back there," she   
said, pointing to the chimera and the Mazoku, who had finally reached the porch.   
"One of them's been hurt. We were told a healer lived here."  
  
"Ah, yes, they must mean my husband," she said, "Well come in, come in." She   
gestured them into the house. It was a nice, cozy little house. Amelia took an   
imediate liking to it.  
  
"Now, then, what hap - oh my!" she exclaimed as she saw Zelgadis, "I think your   
putting a little too much faith in my husband, dearie."  
  
"Oh, it's not that," Amelia explained, almost casually, "That's the result of a   
curse. He's been injured though, and and we need your help!"  
  
Xellos dumped Zelgadis into a chair with a loud thump, before sitting down next   
to him to catch his breath.  
  
"What's all that ruckus down there?" a grumpy voice called down from the second   
floor. There were several lound clunks as an old man made his way down the   
stairs with the aid of a cane. His eyes fell on Amelia, who smiled nervously at   
him, then moved on to Zelgadis's inert form. "Why didn't you tell me there was   
a patient?" He hobbled across the room to inspect the shaman. "Powerful bit of   
magic on this one, huh? You there," he pointed at Xellos. "You look like   
you've got a strong back, put him on that table." Xellos sighed as he picked up   
Zelgadis and brought him where the doctor had directed.  
  
"All right," the elderly doctor said, "Tell me what happened." Amelia quickly   
filled him in about the enchanted trap they had found on the path. The doctor   
listened to her patiently, then nodded. "Sounds like he's suffering from shock,   
as well as the lingering effects of the poison. I'll see what I can do." As   
the doctor examined Zelgadis and asked Amelia questions, Xellos decided to rest   
his feet, and sat down in a nearby chair.  
  
"Would you care for a cookie?" Xellos looked up to see the doctor's wife,   
holding a plate full of cookies towards him.  
  
"Don't mind if I do," he smiled. He picked up one from the tray and bit into   
it. "Not bad," he said around a mouthful of cookie.  
  
"I don't think we were properly introduced," she said, "I'm Anna Tella, and my   
husband is Abram."  
  
"Metallium," Xellos said, nodding his head politely, "Xellos Metallium, and   
that's Amelia, and the stiff one is Zelgadis."  
  
"How are you related?" she asked.  
  
"Related?" Xellos asked, curiously.  
  
Mrs. Tella sighed. "What's this world coming to?" she asked, "A young girl just   
traipsing about with strange men. No sense of decency at all."  
  
Xellos suddenly smiled to himself. This would be fun. Oh, this would be a LOT   
of fun.  
  
"I'm sorry," he grinned, "I think I misunderstood you."  
  
"Oh?" Mrs. Tella said, " So you are related?"  
  
"Well, not exactly," Xellos said, then he added with a wink, "Or rather, not   
yet."  
  
"Really?" Mrs. Tella smiled, "You're getting married?" Xellos nodded. "That's   
wonderful!" Amelia, hearing the outcry, came over.  
  
"What's wonderful?" she asked, curiously.  
  
"Amelia dear!" Xellos said, rising from his seat to hug a very confused Amelia,   
"I just told Mrs. Tella the news."  
  
"Huh?" Amelia blinked, surprised to find herself suddenly embraced by the   
Mazoku, "What news?"  
  
"I'm so happy for you," Mrs. Tella said, dabbing at her eyes with a hankerchief,   
"It's so nice to see a girl getting married at a proper age. So many girls   
these days are running off to be sorceresses, or swordswomen, or archers, or   
other such..." She paused to find the right word, "Nonsense, when they should   
be finding husbands and starting a nice family."  
  
Amelia sweatdropped. She started to protest, but Xellos cut her off.  
  
"I know you didn't want to tell anyone," he said, "But it's really only PROPER   
to tell her."  
  
There was a long moment of silence before Amelia finally caught on. "Oh," she   
said, "Um, yeah, I suppose."  
  
"She's just shy," Xellos smiled, giving Amelia a squeeze. Amelia was inches   
away from tears. "See? She's so happy, she ready to cry."  
  
***  
  
They had been walking into the cave for the last half hour, with no notable   
changes. The heavy fog made it seem like they were walking down an endless   
corridor. He didn't like it at all. At first, he thought the fog might help   
him forget he was in a cave, but it didn't. If anything, it made the cave seem   
even smaller.  
  
"I wonder if something lives here," Tensado pondered aloud, more out of the   
desire to break the monotony than any real curiousity.  
  
"It's possible," Lina replied, "I wouldn't be surprised if some bears or trolls   
took advan-."  
  
"Shh!" Tensado suddenly hissed, "What's that?" he whispered, tensely. Lina   
cocked her head to one side and listened. At first she thought Tensado was   
imagining things, probably due to the stress of being enclosed for so long. But   
then she heard it. It was barely audible, but it was there: a heavy, low   
humming sound. "What is it?" Tensado asked again.  
  
"I don't know," Lina told him, "But it could be a clue to who sent us in here.   
Let's follow it." She was sick of this. She didn't like getting led around,   
and she didn't like not being able to see more than five feet. She wanted a   
direct confrontation, someone she could be specifically mad at. If this noise   
could give her that, she wasn't going to pass it up.  
  
Tensado nodded, eager to put an end to this as well, albeit for slightly   
different reasons, and the pair chased after the mysterious sound. Fortunately,   
the dampness of the fog muffled any echoes that might have confused them, and   
after a few twists and turns, they saw a pair of lights, flickering through the   
fog.  
  
Lina and Tensado exchanged a wordless glance. They slowed down as they got   
closer to the lights. The cave widened into a large cavern. The mist began to   
thin as the cave grew larger, and soon they saw a dark shape moving through the   
mist towards them.  
  
Roaring, the dark shape charged, revealing itself to be a massive bear. Lina   
and Tensado leapt away as the bear attacked.  
  
"Kind of fierce, isn't he?" Lina quipped, "Let's see how he feels after I'm done   
with him." She brought her hands in front of her in preparation for a spell.  
  
"Be careful what you cast!" Tensado said in a strained voice. The last thing he   
wanted was fireballs being thrown around.  
  
"Don't worry!" the redhead smiled. She pulled back an arm as if drawing a bow.   
"FLARE ARROW!" But nothing happened. "Not fair!" she yelled as she ran from   
the enraged bear.  
  
Tensado, meanwhile, flung a handful of throwing knives at it. They hit their   
mark, but the bear's hide was so thick, it didn't even notice the knives   
embedded in its skin.  
  
"All right," the assassin muttered, as he saw the ineffectiveness of his attack,   
"Let's try this. ICE LANCE!" As before, though, there was no noticable effect.  
  
Lina leapt away from two more of the bear's attacks. "DO SOMETHING!" she   
yelled.  
  
"I'm trying!" Giving up on knives and spells, he drew his sword and charged.   
His blade bit deep into the bears hide, and while it wasn't a great wound, it   
was enough to get the bears attention. It turned on the young assassin, glaring   
down at him with angry eyes. Tensado sweatdropped. "Now, I know you're   
probably mad, and rightfully so, but..." The bear swung at him and he leapt   
away. "Okay, Lina," he said, dodging another blow, "Your turn!"  
  
Lina drew her own sword, but was hesitant to attack. The bear had shrugged off   
Tensado's attack like a bugbite, and she doubted her attack would do much   
better. They had to find some other way. Meanwhile, the bear pressed Tensado   
farther and farther back, towards a dark line in the mist. Lina's eyes widened   
as she realized what it was.  
  
"Tensado! Watch your footing!" she called out. He ducked under the bears next   
swing, and his foot fell off the cliff Lina had tried to warn him about. The   
bear slashed at him again, and this time, it connected, drawing out a great   
spurt of blood from his shoulder. Tensado fell backwards over the cliff, barely   
managing to catch hold of the ledge.  
  
The bear reared onto its hind legs and bellowed out a triumphant roar. Lina's   
mind raced. There had to be something she could do! Tensado couldn't hold on   
much longer, especially not with that blow to his arm, and if he tried to get   
up, the bear would finish him. But what could she do? Magic didn't seem to be   
working, and her sword seemed pointless. She might as well try to ram it...  
  
...Off the cliff. It might work. It was a long shot, but it was her best   
chance.  
  
"Aim for it's legs!" she called out, hoping Tensado still had his sword. The   
bear turned to face her, but Tensado, who did indeed still have his sword, drove   
his blade into the bottom of the bear's lifted foot. The bear bellowed in pain,   
and turned his attention back to Tensado.  
  
Lina took a deep breath, and ran as fast as she could. She had to build up   
enough momentum to make up for the massive difference in weight. She gritted   
her teeth as she threw herself into the beast. At the same moment, Tensado   
slashed at the bear's other paw.  
  
Screaming in rage, the bear toppled over. Tensado winced as its claws raked his   
back. The pain caused him to drop his sword, but, somehow, he managed to keep   
his hold on the edge of the cliff.  
  
Lina ran to the cliff, and helped pull him back onto solid ground. They both   
sat there for a minute, catching their breath. They heard the sound of someone   
clapping.  
  
"Very impressive!" a deep voice said. They looked up. On the far side of the   
cavern, just barely visible, two torches burned in their holders: the lights   
they had seen earlier. Below that, was a large metal box, that appeared to be   
the source of the humming. Every few seconds it let out a loud hiss, as fog   
shot out of its edges.  
  
Standing in front of this machine, was the owner of that deep voice. It was a   
man, a very large man. Truth be told, the bear they had just fought had very   
little on him in size. Tatoos of all sorts of animals covered his body, and he   
leaned on a massive axe.  
  
"Who are you?" Tensado demanded, "What do you want?"  
  
"I don't have to answer to a boy like you," the man grinned evily.  
  
Tensado drew one of his daggers. "I should tell you, that I've had people look   
down on me before," he said, "But never twice by the same person."  
  
The man burst into laughter. "You're a funny boy," he said, hefting the axe   
onto his shoulder, "Let's see what you've got."  
  
Lina and Tensado exchanged glances and simultaneously charged. Not being   
impaired by the injuries like Tensado was, the young sorceress reached him   
first. Still laughing, he brought his axe down on her sword, knocking it   
harmlessly to the side. He grabbed her by the throat and tossed her to the   
side.  
  
She crashed into the ground with a loud thud. She looked up just in time to see   
Tensado's attack. Just like earlier, time seemed to slow down for her. She saw   
the giant step to the side of the dagger. She knew what was coming next, but   
there was nothing she could do. The tattoed man spun around, and buried his axe   
deep into Tensado's gut.  
  
She watched in horror as her oldest friend flew into the mist, the axe still   
embedded in his body.  
  
  
To be continued...  



	3. Wounds of the Flesh, and Wounds of the H...

Disclaimer: Yadda, yadda, yadda, Slayers copyright of Kadokawa Shoten and TV   
  
Tokyo, blah, blah, blah, send comments to bkuhn@ucsd.edu yackity smackity... you   
  
get the drift  
  
Special thanks go out to my pre-readers: Davner, Drakstern, Fish, Little  
  
Masa-ouki, Tamysan, NJ Silver, and Will Z.  
  
Lina: It looks like someone's after Zelgadis and Amelia, and they know what   
  
they're doing. A beartrap, laced with both poison AND enchantments has taken   
  
Zelgadis down.  
  
Amelia: Meanwhile, Lina and Tensado head out after this strange knight,   
  
Delvier, but they walk right into a trap, themselves.  
  
Lina: Well how was I supposed to know someone had rigged that forest to turn   
  
into a bonfire? Anyways, after taking Zelgadis to a healer, Xellos manages to   
  
stir up more mischief by telling the lady of the house that he's Amelia's   
  
fiancé!  
  
Amelia: (crying) Why does this stuff have to happen to me?!  
  
Lina: Um... Amelia, it's your turn for the recap.  
  
Amelia: (wiping eyes) Oh yeah, *sniff* Lina and Tensado are forced into a   
  
strange cave, where magic doesn't seem to work. They're confronted by a large,   
  
tattooed man, and Tensado is... he's... (cries again)  
  
Lina: I can't believe the author ended the chapter by killing Tensado! What   
  
kind of ending is that?  
  
Zelgadis: I believe it's called a 'cliffhanger.' This particular author seems   
  
to like them.  
  
Lina: Well I don't like it! I wanna talk to the author! I'll teach him a   
  
thing or two about cliffhangers.  
  
Zelgadis: If you kill the author, you'll never find out what happens.  
  
Lina: Be quiet! Amelia and I are supposed to do the introductions. You're not   
  
even conscious at the moment.  
  
Zelgadis: (sighs) Let's just get on with the fic.  
  
***  
  
Slayers GO!  
  
Chapter 3: Wounds of the Flesh, and Wounds of the Heart  
  
"Mr. Xellos!" Amelia cried out, "Why did you tell her that?" She looked   
  
apprehensively at the kitchen, where Mrs. Tella had gone to get tea.  
  
"It's really for the best," Xellos told the young princess casually, "She seemed   
  
to think it was improper for a woman such as yourself to be," he did a   
  
remarkable impersonation of Mrs. Tella's voice "'Traipsing about with strange   
  
men.'"  
  
"So?" Amelia said, "It's still a lie, and justice doesn't forgive a liar!"  
  
"Shh," Xellos said, holding a finger to his lips, "We may have to stay here a   
  
day or two, while Mr. Zelgadis recovers. And Mrs. Tella will probably take   
  
better care of him if she likes us."  
  
Amelia frowned. "I suppose... but it's still lying. I don't think I can do   
  
it."  
  
"It's remarkably easy," Xellos assured her, "Just think of it like a game.   
  
Surely you played make-believe when you were younger. It's really no different   
  
than that."  
  
Amelia bit her lip as she struggled with the decision.   
  
There was a small poof, and a little angel version of herself appeared on her   
  
shoulder. "You can't lie!" she told her, "You said it yourself, justice doesn't   
  
forgive a liar."  
  
There was another small poof, and another little angel appeared on her other   
  
shoulder. "But it's for the good of everyone!"  
  
"Um..." Amelia said, "Aren't you supposed to be a devil?"  
  
"What?" the second angel said, indignantly, "How dare you? I am your good side,   
  
devoted to making sure you walk the line of truth, justice, and the Seyruun   
  
way!"  
  
Amelia turned back to the first angel. "Don't I have a bad side?"  
  
"Of course not, your heart belongs to justice! No dark thoughts can survive in   
  
your pure soul!" Amelia stared at her for a second. "All right," she admitted,   
  
"You do have a dark side. A tiny, weak thing, really. We overpowered her and   
  
locked her in the basement."  
  
"Don't worry," the second angel added, "We gave her a fair trial."  
  
"We're getting sidetracked," the first angel told the second angel, "The point   
  
is, Amelia's not going to lie, because lying is wrong, no matter what the reason   
  
is."  
  
"What about when her aunt gave her that awful sweater for her birthday?" the   
  
second angel countered, "Are you saying she should have told her how hideous it   
  
really was?"  
  
The first angel frowned. "Well... no, but-"  
  
"And this is for Mr. Zelgadis's sake," the second angel reminded. "Mr.   
  
Zelgadis!" she squealed. For some reason, this gave Amelia the mental image of   
  
Zelgadis in tight pants playing a guitar on a stage in front of thousands of   
  
teenage girls.  
  
"I still don't like it," the first replied.  
  
The second angel looked at the first with sad eyes. "C'mon, pllleeeaaassseee?"  
  
The first angel stamped her foot on Amelia's shoulder in frustration. "All   
  
right, all right. But you owe me, got it?"  
  
The second angel turned back to Amelia. "You hear that? It's your DUTY to go   
  
through with this. Now, make a justice speech."  
  
Amelia blinked. "A justice speech?"  
  
"Yes, a justice speech," the first angel said, "It's been ages since your last   
  
one."  
  
"You know you want to," the second angel added.  
  
"All right!" she said. The two angels disappeared as she raised a fist in the   
  
air. "For the sake of justice, I will hide my identity a pretend to be..." Her   
  
enthusiasm waned at this point. "Your... fiancé."  
  
"That's the spirit," Xellos smiled.  
  
A sudden thought occurred to Amelia, and she frowned again. "What about Mr.   
  
Zelgadis?" she asked, looking at the unconscious chimera.  
  
"Easy enough," Xellos replied, "He's your older brother, here to make sure we   
  
don't do anything... 'improper.'" Xellos winked, causing Amelia to blush. "We   
  
just need to make sure he knows that when he wakes up."  
  
Dr. Tella finished his examination, and returned to the second floor to prepare   
  
something for him. Mrs. Tella was still busy in the kitchen. That left Amelia   
  
alone with Xellos. She kept glancing at him nervously. Even if it was just   
  
pretend, the situation made her nervous.  
  
Think about something else, she told herself. She starting reciting lessons to   
  
distract herself. And Ceiphied came upon the warring people. But where his   
  
brother had descended to the soldiers, promising them gifts to destroy their   
  
enemies, Ceiphied paid the men fighting in the fields no heed. Instead he made   
  
himself known to the people of the lands. He spoke to the farmers, and the   
  
millers, and the smiths, who had been chased away from their tranquil lives.  
  
It was working, she wasn't thinking about Xellos...  
  
And he showed them what plants might reduce a fever, and which might cleanse a   
  
wound.  
  
... or what it would be like to really be engaged to Xellos...  
  
And he spoke to them the mystic words, to draw upon his energy...  
  
... or how he was kind of cute, in a weird way...  
  
... to draw upon his energy to close that which had been rent...  
  
... or how nice he could be when he wasn't being mysterious...  
  
... to close that which had been rent, and purify those made ill, and drive   
  
away...  
  
... or what kind of body he might have beneath those robes...  
  
... and drive away... drive away... purify those made ill, and drive away...  
  
"This isn't working," she sighed. Fortunately, Mrs. Tella returned with tea,   
  
and they made idle chitchat until Dr. Tella had returned, mixing something in a   
  
small bowl.  
  
"This should help fight off that poison," he told the 'happy couple,' as he bent   
  
over Zelgadis, "And wake him up, too." He placed one hand around the chimera's   
  
cheeks, forcing his jaw open, and poured the contents of the bowl into his   
  
mouth.  
  
Zelgadis groaned. He felt like Filia had hit him over the head with her mace...   
  
several times... then hit him with her laser breath for good measure. Needless   
  
to say, it wasn't a good feeling.  
  
He sat up, and immediately regretted it as the entire room seemed to lurch, and   
  
his headache increased sharply. He was in what looked like someone's house. It   
  
was hard to tell, as everything was hazy. Was he dreaming?  
  
"Zel-niichan!" Amelia said, running up to him and throwing her arms around him.  
  
"Niichan?" he said puzzled. Ah, he thought, it was THAT dream, where he and his   
  
traveling companion's were some sort of family. He looked up to see Xellos wave   
  
at him. No, it couldn't be that dream. In that dream Amelia was his niece,   
  
Lina and Gourry's daughter. And Xellos's skull was used to hold bean dip.  
  
"I was so worried that you might not recover," Amelia said quickly, "And then   
  
there'd be no one to keep an eye on my fiancé, Xellos and I."  
  
"Yareyare," Xellos said under his breath, "How obvious can you get?" However   
  
obvious the Mazoku might have thought it was, the Tellas didn't seem to notice.   
  
Zelgadis raised an eyebrow, and Amelia blushed. One of Xellos's games, he   
  
decided. He had gotten Amelia to go along with it, though, which suggested   
  
there might be some purpose behind it. On the other hand, Amelia was rather   
  
naive, and far too trusting of that Mazoku. It wouldn't be difficult for Xellos   
  
to trick her.  
  
In the end, he decided it would be best to play along until he had a chance to   
  
ask some questions. That decided, he put an arm around Amelia.  
  
"It's okay, sis," he said, doing a much better acting job than Amelia had, "I'm   
  
tough, you know that."  
  
"Anna," the doctor said to his wife, "Why don't you go prepare some rooms for   
  
our guests."  
  
"Rooms?" Zelgadis asked.  
  
"Can't let you out like that, son," the doctor said, tapping his leg with his   
  
cane, "You need rest until your body can get rid of that poison."  
  
"Forget that," Zelgadis said, trying to get up. The old man, put a hand against   
  
his chest, and pushed him back down. The old man's strength was impressive. Or   
  
maybe Zelgadis was just weak from the poison.  
  
"You leave now," the doctor told him, "And your sister and her fiancé will be   
  
burying you by sundown."  
  
"What?" Amelia said, startled, "He'll be okay, won't he?" Her eyes were filled   
  
with tears.  
  
"Now, now," the doctor said, reassuringly, "He'll be fine, as long as he takes   
  
it easy for the next few days." He turned back to Zelgadis, looking at him with   
  
very stern eyes. "Got that, son?"  
  
"I understand," Zelgadis sighed. He lay back on the table.  
  
"Don't worry, Amelia dear" Xellos said, with his usual smile, "I'm sure your   
  
brother will be good as new in no time at all."  
  
Zelgadis covered his face with his hands. This was hell.  
  
***  
  
Lina stared in disbelief at the area where Tensado had disappeared into the   
  
mist. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't! Tensado couldn't be dead. He   
  
was her oldest friend. They had grown up together. Luna was always busy at the   
  
restaurant, and Tensado only has his mother and she was an assassin as well, and   
  
often too busy. But they always had time for each other. They had helped each   
  
other grow. They had supported each other. They were friends... best friends.   
  
They had finally met again, after six years. And now...  
  
"You'll pay for that you son of a bitch!" Lina yelled, as she charged at   
  
Tensado's killer again. The man continued to laugh, as he sidestepped Lina's   
  
attack, and grabbed her wrist. A sharp twist caused her to scream in pain, as   
  
she heard the bones snap. He threw her away again.  
  
Lina gritted her teeth and tried her best to ignore the pain. Her sword was now   
  
at the large man's feet, so she tried a different attack. She leapt at him,   
  
kicking at his face. She struck him hard across the cheek, but if he felt any   
  
pain, he didn't show it. He picked her up by the leg and slammed her into the   
  
rock wall. She slumped to the ground, where he kicked her away.  
  
"Is that all you've got?" he asked, "I expected more from the great Lina   
  
Inverse."  
  
Lina slowly picked herself up from the floor. Her jaw stung with pain where he   
  
had kicked her. Every inch of her body ached. Each muscle screamed in agony as   
  
she moved. But she wouldn't back down. She was Lina Inverse, and if she was   
  
going to die, she'd die fighting.  
  
"I will kill you," she said softly.  
  
"And how will you do that?" he asked, "Your magic is impressive, but it won't   
  
work here." He gestured to the foggy cavern around them. "This mist blocks out   
  
all magical energy. And without your magic, you're no match for me."  
  
Lina smiled. "Oh yeah?" She pulled her hands in front of her and began to   
  
chant, "Darkness beyond Twilight..." She faltered. She couldn't feel the   
  
energy. Keep going, she told herself. "Crimson beyond the blood that flows..."   
  
There it was! She could feel it! It was faint, but it was there. "Buried in   
  
the stream of time is where your power grows..." She winced as the dark   
  
energies flew through her beaten body. This spell was going to kill her. Even   
  
if she survived casting it, the spell would collapse the entire mountain on her.   
  
At least she'd take this asshole down with her. "I pledge myself to con-" She   
  
was cut off as a large hand closed around her throat.  
  
"Interesting," the giant said as he lifted her off the ground, "Apparently the   
  
power of Shabranigdo can penetrate the mist. That will be useful to know. Now   
  
that I've performed their little 'test,' there's no reason to keep you alive."  
  
Lina gasped as he tightened his grip around her neck. She couldn't breathe.   
  
She tried to fight back, but all of his vulnerable spots were out of range.   
  
Why did I have to be short? Lina lamented. Her vision began to blur as she   
  
suffocated. She could hear the sound of beating wings. Was this the angel of   
  
death coming for her?  
  
She suddenly was dropped as something clashed into the rock wall. Gasping for   
  
breath, she looked up at the wall. What she had thought was the angel of   
  
death's wings, was actually the sound of the giant axe being hurled through the   
  
air. It now lay embedded in the rock wall, blood dripping from the exposed part   
  
of the blade.  
  
Both she and her attacker turned to look at the source. Shadowed by the mist   
  
was a human shape. One arm was still extended from throwing the axe.  
  
"Leave... her... alone..." the figure said. It was Tensado's voice, but the   
  
light, friendly tone he always spoke with was gone, replaced by a cold anger   
  
Lina had never heard from him before.  
  
"How are you still alive, boy?" the giant asked, angrily, although Lina thought   
  
she heard a trace of fear in his voice. She noticed how quickly he moved to   
  
pull his axe from the wall.  
  
"I'm not that easy to kill," the assassin snarled, only this was a REAL snarl,   
  
the sound an angry hound would make. Tensado threw his cloak aside as he   
  
approached them. Lina blinked. Tensado appeared to be growing in size. Had   
  
she taken a blow to the head?  
  
As he stepped out of the mist, Lina looked at her old friend, and gasped in   
  
surprise. His shirt had been torn away, revealing a body covered with thick   
  
gray fur. Long, deadly claws extended from each hand. Her eyes moved upward to   
  
Tensado's face, and she saw those wild eyes of his. But the rest of the face   
  
wasn't Tensado's, it wasn't even human.  
  
The werewolf let out a howl that echoed off the cave walls. A wave of pain   
  
passed over Lina, and she blacked out.  
  
***  
  
"Your brother will be staying in the patient room downstairs," Mrs. Tella told   
  
Amelia and Xellos, as she lead them to a room at the top of the stairs, "You can   
  
stay here. This room used to belong to my granddaughter, Ketra. I'm sure   
  
you'll be comfortable here."  
  
The room had the same old-fashioned cozy feeling that pervaded the rest of the   
  
house. There was a dresser in the corner, with a makeup kit and a music box   
  
resting on it. Several horse figurines were displayed on a shelf next to the   
  
bed. A cross-stitching project lay on the chair. Amelia got the feeling that   
  
Mrs. Tella had kept the room in the exact same state it was in when Ketra had   
  
left it.  
  
"It's great!" the young princess said enthusiastically, "I love it!"  
  
"I'm glad to hear that," Mrs. Tella smiled, "Well, I'd better go prepare lunch.   
  
Don't be too long."  
  
"Um, what about Mist- er... what about Xellos dear?" she asked, "Where will he   
  
be staying?"  
  
"Oh, he can stay here with you, dear," Mrs. Tella said, with a friendly smile.  
  
"That's great!" Xellos said, putting an arm around Amelia's shoulder.  
  
"Wha- Wait!" Amelia protested, flushing, "Isn't that, um, improper?"  
  
Mrs. Tella gave them a knowing look. "I was young once, too, you know. I'd   
  
imagine travelling with your brother that you haven't had a chance to... enjoy   
  
each other's company in a while."  
  
"You really are a gem, Mrs. Tella," Xellos said, cheerfully.  
  
"Of course, dear," she smiled, "Now, I have to go see to lunch."  
  
Amelia tried to find some way around this, but none came to mind, and Mrs. Tella   
  
left. She let out a heavy sigh as she flopped down on the bed. She looked at   
  
Xellos, who smiled.  
  
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she accused.  
  
"Of course," he said, waving a finger, "It's a game, you see, and one that I'm   
  
very good at. I find it simply amazing to observe what I can do with something   
  
that never existed."  
  
"I don't get what you mean," Amelia said, folding her arms in front of her and   
  
resting her head on them.  
  
"Let me put it this way," the Mazoku told her, "You're a sorceress, who travels   
  
all over the world to 'fight evil and corruption in the name of justice,' or   
  
something like that, right?" Amelia nodded. "Mrs. Tella would absolutely hate   
  
you. But she's treating you like you were her own child, because we're an   
  
engaged couple, off to be married."  
  
Amelia sat up. "But we're not!" she protested, "It's all a lie!"  
  
"That's the point," Xellos smiled, "There's not a single shred of truth in it.   
  
It's all a product of our minds, but look at how it changed Mrs. Tella."  
  
Amelia lay back down on the bed. She didn't want to look at him.  
  
"You're a horrible person, you know that?" she told him.  
  
"Well, I AM a Mazoku," he reminded the princess.  
  
Amelia frowned. She knew he was a Mazoku. He was evil. It was that simple.   
  
But it wasn't simple, it wasn't simple at all.  
  
"Then why don't you act like it?" she asked, "You smile and act nice, but it's a   
  
lie. You pretend to be a friend, but you don't really care about us at all, do   
  
you?" Xellos didn't respond. "Don't you have any feelings at all?"  
  
"Well, maybe not in quite the same way you do," he admitted, seriously, "A lot   
  
of the feelings you humans go through really don't make sense to us Mazoku."  
  
"Like love," Amelia said, "You don't have anything like that, do you?"  
  
"I don't know. I've never felt love, so I really can't compare it to anything.   
  
I know it does exist, though. Lina and Gourry managed to prove that rather   
  
effectively. I think the closest thing I might have felt to love would be   
  
rivalry."  
  
Amelia blinked. "Rivalry?"  
  
Xellos nodded. "There are similarities between the two. They're both an   
  
obsession. Everything sort of goes away, except for the opinion of one person.   
  
You focus all your energy into proving yourself." There was a moment of   
  
silence, before Xellos added, in a casual voice, "Of course, I could be   
  
completely wrong."  
  
Amelia stared at the ceiling for a while, as she thought about what Xellos had   
  
said. It seemed to make sense, to some extent at least. She thought about the   
  
way Xellos and Filia treated each other. She had always thought they had   
  
feelings for each other that they just didn't want to admit, but Xellos's   
  
description of rivalry seemed to fit it more.  
  
She gave up on those thoughts. Even Gourry was smart enough not to know that   
  
trying to figure out Xellos was a waste of time. She looked at the horses on   
  
the shelf next to her. Each one was different, unique. Some were made out of   
  
stone, some from wood, and others were glass. She found her attention was drawn   
  
to a wooden one in the back. It was a beautifully carved stallion, painted   
  
black with silver reigns and saddle. A beautiful woman in a white cloak rode on   
  
top of it, her long golden hair flowing down her back. It looked almost real.  
  
She was shaken from her thoughts as she heard the door to the room open and   
  
close. Sitting up, she saw Zelgadis enter the room.  
  
"Mr. Zelgadis!" she said, "Are you sure you should be up like this?"  
  
"I'm fine," he assured her, as he crossed the room. "Dr. Tella said it was fine   
  
for me to move around as long as I don't stress myself," he added, seeing the   
  
skeptical look Amelia was giving him. "Anyways, while we're here, my name is   
  
just 'Zel,' not 'Zelgadis.' Got it?"  
  
"Yeah," Amelia said, "Why?"  
  
"I was born here," he told her. She looked up at him, but he didn't return the   
  
gaze. Instead, he focused his attention at the figurines. "I knew the Tellas,   
  
and I'd prefer it if they didn't realize they knew me." He picked up the wooden   
  
carving Amelia had been looking at and held it up to the light.  
  
Amelia sighed as she saw the sad look on the chimera's face. She thought about   
  
how horrible it would be to be afraid of your own family and friends. Zelgadis   
  
showed real strength in how he was able to continue on like he did. She didn't   
  
think she'd be able to handle it.  
  
She got up off the bed and stood next to Zelgadis. "Are you all right?" she   
  
asked.  
  
"Yeah," he told her, "It's nothing I can't handle."  
  
"Just think, in a few days, you might not have to handle it anymore," she said   
  
hopefully. Zelgadis just nodded. She swallowed nervously. "Um... Mr.   
  
Zelgadis... I just want you to know... Even if this doesn't work out, I'll   
  
always be here for you." She bit her lip.  
  
"Thank you, Amelia," Zelgadis said, looking out the window, "That means a lot to   
  
me. It really does." He turned to face her. "You really are a great woman."  
  
Amelia felt her face heat up at the comment, but it went cold a second later   
  
when she felt Xellos's arm around her shoulder.  
  
"Isn't she?" he said, "I'm just the luckiest man alive to be engaged to her."  
  
Zelgadis glared at him for a moment, before storming off, muttering something   
  
about bean dip.  
  
***  
  
Lina woke up, and immediately regretted it. God, how much did she drink last   
  
night? She rolled over, wincing at the throbbing pain in her head. She wanted   
  
to curl up and die, or, failing that, go to sleep for a month and see if she   
  
felt any better by then.  
  
It was the sharp pain in her right wrist that brought her to reality. She was   
  
lying on the side of a path, just outside the mist-filled cavern. Her entire   
  
body ached, but her wrist was the worst. It was tied to her torso with a strip   
  
of blue cloth, she tentatively tried moving it, and immediately clenched her   
  
teeth in pain.  
  
"You broke your wrist. Don't move it," she heard Tensado's cheerful voice,   
  
tinged with worry, tell her.  
  
"I had the strangest dream," she said, struggling to sit up without jarring her   
  
wrist. "We were attacked by a strange man, and I thought he had killed you, but   
  
then you turned out to be a-" She cut herself off as she finally managed to sit   
  
up. She could see Tensado now. He had his cloak pulled around him, but Lina   
  
could see that he no longer wore a shirt. The way he held his cloak around his   
  
body made Lina suspect his shirt wasn't the only thing he lost in the   
  
transformation.  
  
"It was real, wasn't it?" It wasn't exactly a question. "You really are a   
  
werewolf." He nodded. "When did it happen?"  
  
Tensado let out a heavy sigh as he sat down next to her. "It didn't," he told   
  
her, "I was born this way. My father was a werewolf, and I got it from him."  
  
Lina gritted her teeth. "So you've ALWAYS been a werewolf?" she asked, glaring   
  
at him.  
  
"I think it's why I'm claustrophobic," he said, completely missing the anger in   
  
Lina's voice, "I'm easily twice as big in my werewolf form. I guess the idea   
  
that there wasn't as much space around me as there seemed was unnerving."  
  
"I don't care about that!" she yelled, hitting him over the head with her good   
  
arm, "How come you never mentioned this?! I don't believe you! We were best   
  
friends our entire lives, and I'm just now finding this out about you?! Why the   
  
hell didn't you tell me?!"  
  
Tensado sweatdropped. "Um... Now that you're awake, we should get going. They   
  
might be back for us."  
  
"Don't try to change the subject!" Lina said, hitting him again, "I want to know   
  
why you never told me!"  
  
"All right, all right," he said, "I never told anyone. Only my mother and I   
  
knew. She told me that I couldn't tell anyone, that people would hate or fear   
  
me if they knew."  
  
Lina stared at him for a moment. "You couldn't have believed I would have   
  
cared. I put up with you being an assassin, why should your lycanthropy matter   
  
to me?"  
  
"I knew that," he replied, "But it didn't seem worth telling you. What if I had   
  
misread you? You were my best friend, Lina, my only friend. It was too much to   
  
risk."  
  
There was a long pause. Finally, Tensado stood up. With one hand holding his   
  
cloak tightly shut, he extended the other to help Lina to her feet.  
  
"We should go," he told her, "Once we got out of the mist, I was able to cast   
  
some healing spells, but we should probably get you to a proper healer."  
  
"Wait! What happened to that guy who attacked us?" she asked.  
  
Tensado smiled. "He ran off. I guess he doesn't like picking on someone his   
  
own size."  
  
"Well, what do we have here?" a voice asked. Lina and Tensado both turned to   
  
see a dozen bandits approaching them.  
  
"Looks like we found Jenso's lost prey," a tall bandit cackled, "The boss'll   
  
reward us REAL good for this one."  
  
Lina groaned. She didn't want to deal with this. While she was certain she   
  
could take care of these idiots with little effort, casting any spells at all   
  
wouldn't be good for her wrist. She wasn't sure how good Tensado was with   
  
magic. As an assassin, he probably didn't need that much power most of the   
  
time. Regardless, she doubted they were equipped to handle a werewolf, but Lina   
  
was pretty sure Tensado hadn't recovered from his earlier injuries.  
  
Well, she thought to herself, when all else fails, bluff. If she was lucky, she   
  
might be able to get these fools to run, and save her the hassle of blasting   
  
them. "I'm not sure you realize who you're dealing with," she said, cockily,   
  
"Do you really think you can take on the great-"  
  
"Hold it right there, you !@#$%ing piece of !@#$%!" a woman commanded. The   
  
brigands turned to see who the foul-mouthed newcomer was.  
  
It was a woman, dressed in white armor and cape, mounted on a large black   
  
warhorse. Long, golden hair flowed out the back of her helmet.  
  
"Hey, boys, check her out!" the tall bandit laughed, "Check out all the white.   
  
Late to your wedding, honey?" The bandits burst into laughter. The woman   
  
merely smiled, and lowered the visor on her helmet.  
  
"If you're not going to take me seriously," she said, drawing a sword from a   
  
scabbard on her hip, "This will be over before it !@#$%ing starts." The sword   
  
blade was made of white steel, and seemed to glow faintly in the sunlight. Lina   
  
could see runes carved along the blade, and feel the magical energy in the   
  
sword.  
  
"You gotta be joking!" one of the bandits said, "I'll take care of you, real   
  
quick." He drew his own sword and charged at her. She didn't move as she   
  
watched him approach. Then, at the last second, she brought her sword down to   
  
parry his attack, and kicked him in the face with her armored foot.  
  
"You're going to have to do much better than that, !@#$%head!" she laughed. The   
  
man stumbled back, clutching his bleeding nose. She vaulted from her horse,   
  
jumping clear over the brigands, to land gracefully in front of Lina and   
  
Tensado. "Aw, !@#$%," she muttered when she saw them, "Kids, now I have to  
  
watch my !@#$%ing language."  
  
"We're not gonna let her get away with that, are we?" the injured bandit yelled.   
  
The rest of the gang yelled out, drew their weapons, and charged. The   
  
swordswoman, though, dodged the attacks with relative ease.  
  
A strange song fell over the forest. It sounded like someone was playing bells,   
  
but Lina couldn't find where the music was coming from. Even more unusual, was   
  
its effect. The bandits' attacks became slower and more lethargic. Lina looked   
  
to the side and saw that even Tensado was effected. He was staring, mesmerized   
  
at the battle in front of him.  
  
The swordswoman continued to dance around the bandits. Periodically, she'd lash   
  
out at one of the brigands, bringing him down with a spurt of blood. Gradually,   
  
Lina realized the source of the music; it was the woman's sword! As she dodged   
  
various attacks from the brigands, she rapped the blade of her sword with her   
  
metal gauntlet, producing a surprisingly complex song that seemed to put all the   
  
men around into a daze.  
  
In a relatively short time, the bandits had all fallen, and the song came to an   
  
end. She wiped her sword clean on one of the dead men's tunics and returned it   
  
to its sheath. Stepping carefully over the corpses, she approached Lina. She   
  
lifted up her visor and smiled.  
  
"Don't you know it's dangerous for kids to travel alone like this?" she said   
  
sweetly. One would hardly guess from her tone that she had just killed twelve   
  
men.  
  
"Why does this seem familiar?" Lina muttered. She turned to the swordswoman.   
  
"Look, lady, before you-"  
  
"Oh, you're a sorceress!" the woman interrupted, "I'm sorry, that sling makes it   
  
hard to see your outfit. Hold on a second." She fiddled with the back of her   
  
helmet, then removed it by sliding it forward. The reason for the unusual style   
  
of her helmet became apparent as she brushed back her hair, revealing a pair of   
  
long, pointed ears.  
  
"An elf?" Lina asked in amazement.  
  
"Half-elf, actually," she admitted. She offered her left hand to Lina. "Ketra,   
  
Ketra Tella."  
  
***  
  
"Thank you for helping me out, dear," Mrs. Tella said, as Amelia started cutting   
  
vegetables.  
  
"It's no problem," Amelia smiled, "It's the least I can do." She finished   
  
slicing the carrots and dumped them into the stew pot. "Here you go." It was   
  
then that she noticed the picture on the shelf. What appeared to be a much   
  
younger Dr. and Mrs. Tella were in it, along with two young women, and a young   
  
man with a child in his arms. "Are these your children?"  
  
Mrs. Tella smiled, but it was a sad smile. "Yes, those are my daughters, Fellace   
  
and Temera, my son, Solto, and his daughter, Ketra."  
  
"So where are they now?" Amelia asked.  
  
"Fellace, the younger one, died shortly after that painting was made. She was   
  
never a healthy child, and I suppose it was always just a matter of time. She   
  
had a good heart, though. Once she was gone, Temera and I fought even more than   
  
usual. Not long after that, she ran off with her boyfriend, and I haven't seen   
  
her since." She let out a very heavy sigh.  
  
Amelia bowed her head. "I'm sorry I brought it up," she said in a subdued   
  
voice.  
  
"It's all right, dear," the elderly woman assured her, "You're at a curious age.   
  
What has happened has happened, and no amount of regret is going to change it.   
  
Solto is still here, and that's something I'll never take for granted. Life can   
  
take nasty turns on you, but the important thing is to learn from them."  
  
Amelia nodded. "So where is Solto?"  
  
"He lives on the other side of the village with his wife."  
  
"Why doesn't he live here?" she asked.  
  
"I've asked him to come back a hundred times," Mrs. Tella said, "But his wife   
  
won't leave. Her son from a previous marriage disappeared one day, you see.   
  
She's convinced that he'll come back some day, and she wants to be there when he   
  
comes home."  
  
Amelia's eyes began to water at this news. "That's so sad."  
  
Mrs. Tella shook her head. "Isn't it, though? You'll get to meet him, though.   
  
He and his wife will be joining us for dinner." She looked around at the   
  
kitchen. "Well, everything's about ready for now. Why don't you run along,   
  
I'll call you when it's time for dinner."  
  
Amelia nodded, and, wiping at her eyes, started out of the kitchen. She stopped   
  
when she saw Xellos leaning against the door frame.  
  
"Hello, Amelia dear," he said cheerfully, either unaware of the somber mood that   
  
had settled over the kitchen, or simply uncaring.  
  
"oh... um... hi, Xellos dear," Amelia said, distractedly.  
  
"Oh," Mrs. Tella said suddenly, "I just noticed something!" She gave Xellos an   
  
angry look. "Why doesn't Amelia have a ring?"  
  
If Xellos was caught off guard by this question, he didn't show it. "Well," he   
  
explained, "As a priest, I don't have a lot of money. I'm willing to spend it   
  
all on my princess, of course, but she wouldn't stand for it, would you,   
  
darling?"  
  
Amelia began to sweat. "Well," she said, hitting a sudden burst of inspiration,   
  
"I figured since we're getting married immediately, there's not a lot of point   
  
in an engagement ring, is there? I'd rather we have the money for our first   
  
house."  
  
"Ah," Mrs. Tella smiled, "This is one of those rush-rush weddings, isn't it?"   
  
Amelia nodded. Maybe this wasn't as hard as she thought. "You need to get   
  
hitched before you start to show." Amelia facefaulted.  
  
"My you're a sharp one, Mrs. Tella," Xellos said before Amelia could protest,   
  
"Just don't let her brother know. He hasn't figured it out yet, and I'd like to   
  
be officially related to him before he does."  
  
"He won't hear it from me," Mrs. Tella laughed, "Well, I've got some cooking   
  
left to do. Why don't you two go have some fun."  
  
"Great," Amelia sighed, as they left the room, "Now I'm carrying your child."   
  
She looked up to see Xellos smoking a cigarette.  
  
"Was it good for you?" he asked.  
  
***  
  
Zelgadis lay on the bed in the room they had given him, lost in thought. He had   
  
been hoping to simply pass through this place. It was a small town, normally it   
  
wouldn't be worth a second glance. If it weren't for that damned trap!   
  
Zelgadis swore that if he found whoever had set that trap, he would make him   
  
suffer.  
  
He decided he'd leave first thing the next morning. The longer he stayed, the   
  
more likely someone would realize that this monster was the child who had been   
  
born in this very building.  
  
Being here was sheer agony. He was so close to a cure. He had even dreamt of   
  
stopping here on their way back. A tear rolled down his cheek. His mother was   
  
so close. He hadn't seen her in years, but he couldn't go to her like this.  
  
"Damn you, Rezo," he whispered. It was then that he heard it: a soft, melodious   
  
singing. The voice was beautiful and sweet. It was a voice Zelgadis knew.   
  
Slowly, he got to his feet, and left the room.  
  
The room he had lead right into the house's living room. Amelia was there,   
  
peering out the window curiously. She turned away to look at him as he entered   
  
the room.  
  
"Oh, Zel-niichan," she giggled, before she returned her attention to the   
  
mysterious song. "Do you know who's singing?" she asked, "She sounds close, but   
  
I don't see her."  
  
"She doesn't like the village," Zelgadis told her, "So she'll stay out of sight.   
  
She's probably just inside the woods."  
  
"But who is she?" Amelia asked.  
  
"Frenlea," Zelgadis answered softly.  
  
"And who's that?" the princess pressed.  
  
"She's a wild elf who lives in the forest. She likes to sing for people."  
  
Amelia pressed her nose against the window. "Really? I've never seen a wild   
  
elf before!"  
  
Zelgadis couldn't help but smile. "Would you like to meet her?"  
  
"Yeah!" Amelia nodded.  
  
"Then let's go," he suggested, opening the door. Amelia hopped down from the   
  
window seat and ran up to him. The singing was louder outside, and it continued   
  
to get louder as Zelgadis led her to the forest. Then, quite suddenly, it   
  
stopped.  
  
"Zel-chan!" a voice cried out. Amelia looked up just in time to see the most   
  
beautiful woman she had ever seen descending on Zelgadis. The chimera caught   
  
her and spun her around once before setting her on the ground.  
  
"Hello Frenlea," Zelgadis said. Amelia was surprised to see him actually   
  
smiling. "Frenlea, this is Princess Amelia. Amelia, this is Frenlea."  
  
"Hello, Amelia-chan," Frenlea smiled.  
  
Amelia just stared. She looked like something out of the picture books she   
  
looked at when she was young. Golden hair flowed past long, pointed ears and   
  
down her back, just touching the forest floor. She wore a short, loose-fitting   
  
green dress, the exact same shade of the leaves of the trees.  
  
An poke in the ribs by Zelgadis's elbow, snapped her out of it. "Um... hi,"   
  
Amelia said, blushing slightly, "It's so nice to meet you. I've never met a   
  
wild elf before."  
  
"Well I've never met a princess before," Frenlea told her with a smile, "So   
  
you're not at a disadvantage." Frenlea's smile was warm and friendly, and   
  
Amelia found herself more and more at ease with the elf.  
  
Frenlea turned to Zelgadis. "You haven't been to see me in a while," she   
  
pouted, "You used to come watch me and my daughter dance." Oddly enough,   
  
Zelgadis blushed at this comment.  
  
"You have a daughter?" Amelia asked in amazement. Frenlea looked far too young   
  
to have a daughter. Amelia reminded herself that elves don't age like humans   
  
do.  
  
"Mmm!" Frenlea nodded, "She lived over there." She pointed back at the Tella's   
  
house. "She'd come and dance with me when the moon was whole, or when it was   
  
absent. She hasn't come for a while, though." Again, she pouted.  
  
"How long ago did she stop?" Amelia asked.  
  
The sylph thought for a moment. "A while after Zelgadis stopped coming," she   
  
said simply.  
  
Amelia sweatdropped. "Doesn't she know any length of time other than 'a   
  
while'?" she whispered to Zelgadis.  
  
"Wild elves live a very long time," Zelgadis whispered back, "So they don't pay   
  
much attention to time."  
  
"I've missed you both," Frenlea said, taking hold of Zelgadis's arm, "I'm not   
  
really used to missing things."  
  
"I'm just passing through, Frenlea," he told her, "But if all goes well, I'll   
  
be back soon."  
  
"You should go see your mother," Frenlea suggested, "She misses you more than I   
  
do."  
  
Zelgadis shook his head. "I can't. Not like this. I think I've found a cure.   
  
I'll see her then. How is she?"  
  
The elf's face got somber, a look which Amelia felt didn't truly belong there.   
  
"She's doing all right," she said, softly, "After you left, I used to visit her   
  
with my lover and my daughter. She was very sad, and we wanted to let her know   
  
she wasn't alone. After Ketra left, though, Solto decided to stay there." She   
  
smiled. "I think they're both happy together."  
  
Zelgadis was silent. Amelia could see the pain etched across his stone face.   
  
She reached out and touched his shoulder lightly, but he pulled away.  
  
"We should be heading back," he said, harshly. He turned and started back   
  
towards the house.  
  
"I'm sorry," Frenlea called out, but if Zelgadis heard her, he didn't respond.   
  
Amelia quickly said goodbye to the elf before chasing after Zelgadis.  
  
"Are you all right, Mr. Zelgadis?" she asked as she caught up with him.  
  
"I don't want to talk about it," he said, but Amelia wasn't going to let herself   
  
be deterred that easily. If she was anything, she was persistent.  
  
"You should be thankful for what you do have," she told him.  
  
"I said I don't want to talk about it!" Zelgadis insisted.  
  
"At least you HAVE a mother. Mine died giving birth to me."  
  
"So what do you suggest I do?" he asked, "See her like this? Let her know that   
  
her only son is a monster?"  
  
"At least she'd know you're alive!" Amelia said, "She's your mother. She's not   
  
going to care what you look like."  
  
"How would you know?!" he snapped, "You just said yourself you never HAD a   
  
mother!"  
  
Amelia stopped walking, and stared at her feet. "I was told mothers loved their   
  
children, no matter what."  
  
"Try to hide your naivety, Amelia," Zelgadis said dryly, "Life isn't like your   
  
fairy tale books. You should be old enough to realize that."  
  
A tear fell from Amelia's eye, disappearing on the dirt path. "I was only   
  
trying to help," she whispered to herself.  
  
"Dear Cephied, no," Zelgadis said. She looked up to see that Zelgadis had   
  
stopped walking, and was staring at something down the path. A man was helping   
  
a woman into the Tella's house.  
  
"What is it?" Amelia asked.  
  
Tears rolled down the chimera's face as Zelgadis reached out his hand longingly   
  
towards the woman. "Mother," he whispered. 


	4. Pajama Party, Part 1!

Disclaimer: Yadda, yadda, yadda, Slayers copyright of Kadokawa Shoten and TV   
  
Tokyo, blah, blah, blah, send comments to bkuhn@ucsd.edu yackity shmackity...  
  
you get the drift  
  
Special thanks go out to my pre-readers: Tamysan, Incantrix, WillZ, Sethra,   
  
Little Masa-ouki, Big D, and especially Strikestwice.  
  
Lina: (grinning) Well, Amelia's been a busy little princess. She's gotten Mrs.   
  
Tella to treat her like her own flesh and blood, met a wild elf, and is   
  
allegedly carrying Xellos's child!  
  
Amelia: (sulking) I don't wanna talk about it.  
  
(long pause)  
  
Lina: Um... Amelia? This is the part where you tell the readers what happened   
  
to me last chapter.  
  
Amelia: (still sulking) Fine. Mr. Tensado turned into a werewolf and saved the   
  
day, and then some foul-mouthed half-elf showed up.  
  
Lina: Gee, Amelia, it's so nice to see you getting into this.  
  
Amelia: What? That's what happened! At least you got to have a happy ending   
  
last chapter. I've been trying to help Mr. Zelgadis, and he's just been mean to   
  
me.  
  
Lina: Well, he's just nervous about meeting his mother, who showed up suddenly   
  
at the end of the chapter. Geeze, what's with this author and suspenseful   
  
endings?  
  
Amelia: (sighs) Let's just get on with the fic.  
  
Gourry: Hey, guys... Do I get to be in this chapter?  
  
***  
  
Slayers: GO!  
  
Chapter 4: Pajama Party! Part 1  
  
"So you're the great Lina Inverse!" the half-elven woman said, "It's an honor to   
  
travel with someone as renowned as yourself."  
  
Lina just smiled. Ketra, despite the foul mouth she displayed during the   
  
battle, was actually a very nice person. She had insisted that Lina, being   
  
injured, take her horse until they reached the next village. It was hard to   
  
believe this was the same woman who had ruthlessly slain twelve brigands only a   
  
short while ago.  
  
"What was that trick you were using back there?" Lina asked, "I've never seen   
  
anything like it before, and I've seen a lot of unusual things."  
  
"Oh, that," Ketra said, flushing slightly, "It's called the Siren's Blade. It   
  
can put men into a lull. It won't work against a real warrior, but against guys   
  
like that..." she trailed off.  
  
"Do you think you could teach me?" the redhaired sorceress asked eagerly.  
  
Ketra shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to teach anyone until my   
  
master says I'm ready to take an apprentice. And even then, I doubt you could   
  
do it."  
  
"And why not?" Lina asked indignantly. The nerve of this woman, suggesting she   
  
could do something the great Lina Inverse couldn't.  
  
Ketra sweatdropped. "Well," she said nervously, "The techniques I use require a   
  
combination of internal and external magical energies. With a few exceptions,   
  
only half-elves have the qualifications to use them."  
  
Lina's eyes widened. "Do you mean you're a... spellsmith?" Ketra nodded.   
  
"I've never met a spellsmith before!" Ketra looked embarrassed by Lina's   
  
reaction.  
  
"Excuse me," Tensado said quietly. Lina turned to look at him, curiously. He   
  
had been unusually quiet since they had left the caves, and his face was   
  
slightly flushed. Lina wasn't sure if he was still embarrassed about being   
  
discovered as a werewolf, or if his injuries were more serious than he was   
  
letting on.  
  
"What exactly is a spellsmith?" he asked through a yawn, "I've heard the term   
  
before, but I don't know what it means."  
  
"A spellsmith is sort of a heavy cross between a sorcerer and a swordsman," Lina   
  
told him, suddenly feeling very sleepy herself, "They have the ability to...   
  
*YAWN* channel magic... through their swords... and..." Whatever else Lina was   
  
going to tell Tensado went unsaid, as the young sorceress fell asleep, sliding   
  
out of the saddle and landing on the ground with a soft 'thud.' It didn't make   
  
that much of a difference, however, as Tensado had fallen asleep, and so had   
  
Ketra.  
  
"Finally!" a voice said, "Got you, murderers!"  
  
***  
  
Amelia wrung her hands as she looked at the sheer agony on Zelgadis's face.   
  
"Oh, I can't believe I could be so STUPID!" she exclaimed. Zelgadis turned to   
  
stare at her. "I... Mrs. Tella told me her son and his wife were coming, and   
  
Mrs. Frenlea told me Mr. Solto was staying with your mother. I... I just didn't   
  
put the two together." Zelgadis looked away from her, staring at the door his   
  
mother had disappeared into. "Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia said, softly, "I'm sorry.   
  
If there's anything I can do to help..."  
  
"You can," he said.  
  
"You're not being fair!" Amelia snapped back, "Wait... what did you say?" She   
  
had been expecting him to ignore her, or yell at her. The last thing she was   
  
ready for was to have him actually accept her offer. She didn't think there was   
  
actually anything she COULD do.  
  
"Which way is it?" he asked. Amelia didn't need him to tell her what he was   
  
talking about. She pulled the crystal out of her shirt and cast the spell. The   
  
crystal swung around and pointed southeast. "It's not swaying as much. I think   
  
we're getting closer."  
  
Zelgadis started down the path that lead towards the potential cure. "Let's   
  
go."  
  
Amelia let out a squeak and ran to catch up to him. "But... your leg. Doctor   
  
Tella said you should at least stay a night." Zelgadis ignored her. "You could   
  
die!" she continued to protest, "Don't you even care?"  
  
Zelgadis stopped, but he didn't turn around to face her. "If I can be flesh   
  
when it happens, then no, I don't care."  
  
Amelia mustered up all the courage she had. "No," she said firmly, even though   
  
her knees were shaking, "Stop now."  
  
"Hmmph! Or what?" he asked.  
  
Amelia searched for a good reply. "Stop or... I won't go with you!" she finally   
  
declared, "You can't find the spell without me, and even if you did, you   
  
wouldn't be able to cast it."  
  
Zelgadis turned and approached her. She closed her eyes, half expecting him to   
  
hit her. But she wasn't going to give up. This was for his own good. Later   
  
on, he'd thank her.  
  
Zelgadis grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward. "Don't play with me,   
  
Amelia," the chimera growled. "I WILL go, with or without you. I'll find a way   
  
to cast the spell."  
  
"You think I'm bluffing, don't you!" the princess yelled back, "You don't think   
  
I'll let you walk off to die, but..." She trailed off, she wasn't sure where   
  
she was going with this, and it didn't look like she was convincing Zelgadis of   
  
anything. He was so damn stubborn! But he was right, she wasn't going to let   
  
him die in the middle of the woods. Especially if there was someone hunting   
  
them. She couldn't leave him alone with someone tracking him.  
  
Tracking him...  
  
It was as if someone had cast a lighting spell in her head. It suddenly became   
  
obvious. Zelgadis wouldn't be able to call her bluff this time, because she   
  
wouldn't be bluffing. She took out the beacon crystal again. She placed a hand   
  
on either side of the crystal and concentrated. It glowed with a blue light as   
  
it started pointing at Zelgadis.  
  
"What are you doing?" Zelgadis asked. Amelia could hear the doubt in his voice.  
  
"You're right," she said, angrily, water filling her eyes, "I'm not going to let   
  
you get yourself killed, even if you are being a big dummy. So I'm going to   
  
adjust the crystal to point to the blue demon inside you. That way, once you've   
  
passed out, I can find you and drag you back here."  
  
"You wouldn't!" the shaman said, but he didn't sound very sure of himself.  
  
The tears started running down Amelia's face, but if she backed down now,   
  
Zelgadis might die. "It must be so easy!" she cried, "Not caring about anybody   
  
but yourself. You're such a stupid jerk! I've come all this way to help you.   
  
I abandoned Gourry AND Lina, because you needed my help. And I'm GOING to help   
  
you, whether you want me to or not!"  
  
Zelgadis just stared at her. There was fire in her eyes. He had always known   
  
the princess was a determined girl, but that was with her absurd notions of   
  
'justice.' She was completely serious now, though, and it didn't look like she   
  
was going to back down. He hated to admit it, but he had underestimated her.  
  
"So you turn around and head right back into that cabin," Amelia ordered, "Or...   
  
or... or I'll break the crystal!"  
  
"You couldn't go through with it," he told her, "That crystal's too valuable."  
  
"I don't give a rat's hiney about the crystal!" she virtually shrieked, "I don't   
  
care about your curse, and I don't care about the Crystal Breath! I just wanted   
  
to make you happy, but you keep making it so difficult! Well, I'm making it   
  
simple. You're going to go back to the Tellas, and you're going to stay there   
  
until Dr. Tella says you can go. Now, MOVE!" Zelgadis glared at her, then   
  
turned around and stormed off towards the cottage.  
  
***  
  
Lina woke up, and immediately regretted it. God, how much did she drink last   
  
night? She winced at the throbbing pain in her head. She wanted to curl up and   
  
die, or, failing that, go to sleep for a month and see if she felt any better by   
  
then.  
  
"About time you woke up!" a small voice said, angrily. She opened her eyes to   
  
see a tiny woman, with large translucent dragonfly wings, standing on her chest.   
  
She was dressed in what appeared to be a white soldier's outfit, but with purple   
  
and golden trim, presumably noting some form of rank, or royal blood. "Once   
  
you're out, lady, you're really out. The sun's already set. I was afraid I   
  
might have to wait all night for you to-"  
  
"What do you think you're doing, standing on my chest?!" she screamed, launching   
  
the fairy into the air. She tried to get up, but she found that she couldn't   
  
seem to move.  
  
The fairy caught herself in midair, flapping her wings slowly to keep level.   
  
She flew back to Lina, and hovered above her face. "Don't you raise your voice   
  
to me. I'm the princess of the Fey Kingdom, and don't you forget it, murderer!"  
  
Lina was in no mood to deal with this. "I've yelled at bigger princesses than   
  
you," she said, lifting her head as far as she could to yell at her, "And...   
  
wait, what did you call me?"  
  
"I, Princess Maia, daughter of Queen Maab, ruler of the Fey Kingdom, hereby   
  
charge you..." the fairy paused, "Um... what's your name?"  
  
"Lina," the sorceress said, laying her head back down, "Lina Inverse."  
  
"Right, I, Princess Maia, yadda yadda yadda, hereby charge you, Lina Inverse, of   
  
the crime of murdering eleven royal explorers!"  
  
"WHAT?!?!" Lina exclaimed, "I haven't killed anyone recently! I mean, there   
  
were those brigands, just now, but they definitely weren't royal explorers, and   
  
Ketra's the one that killed them, not me."  
  
"The elf?" Maia asked. Lina nodded. "Don't lie to me! An elf would never kill   
  
fairies. Elves are our cousins, and besides, she didn't join you until AFTER my   
  
party was cruelly murdered!"  
  
"I didn't murder any fairies!" Lina yelled.  
  
"Save it for the trial!" the fairy snapped. Just then, a string of expletives   
  
erupted from somewhere nearby, telling Lina that Ketra had regained   
  
consciousness.  
  
"What the !@#$% is going on?!" she exclaimed.  
  
"I'm sorry, Miss Elf," Maia said, flying over to where Ketra lay, "But your   
  
friend is guilty of killing eleven fairies, so I have to take her back to the   
  
Fairy Castle to be judged."  
  
"Great," Ketra replied, dryly, "So why can't I move?"  
  
Maia looked a bit embarrassed. "Well, I know you'd never attack a group of   
  
fairies serving the royal army, being an elf and all, but since you're traveling   
  
with someone who did, I need to bring you all back with me to get things   
  
straightened out."  
  
"You still haven't answered my question," Ketra said, "Why can't I move?"  
  
"Well..." Maia started turning red, "I needed to make sure nobody tried   
  
anything, so I... I kinda turned your clothes into silver."  
  
"What?" Lina asked suddenly, "How many of us did you do this to?" she asked.  
  
"All of you," the fairy said, rather confused as to where the conversation was   
  
going now, "Well, not the horse, of course, but everyone else."  
  
Lina tried to look around, but in her current condition, she couldn't see very   
  
much. "Tensado?" she called out frantically, "Tensado, are you there?" She   
  
heard someone gasp. "Tensado? Is that you? Are you okay?"  
  
"I've... felt... better," Tensado said through clenched teeth. He couldn't   
  
figure out why, but his entire body ached with a dull pain, not to mention   
  
several sore muscles from sleeping on something hard and uneven. "What's going   
  
on?"  
  
"Some stupid fairy turned your cloak into silver," she told him, "Can you   
  
squeeze out of it or something?"  
  
There was a long pause, then finally Tensado replied. "I'd rather not."  
  
"What do you mean 'you'd rather not'?" Lina yelled, "It's silver!"  
  
"True," Tensado said, "But this isn't real silver, so it's not quite so bad."  
  
"Wait," Ketra said, "Are you a werewolf or something?"  
  
"It's not something I generally advertise, but yes," the assassin admitted.  
  
"Oh, my!" Ketra said, "Well, I guess that explains it!"  
  
"Explains what?" Lina asked, "Why don't you want to get out of your cloak?"   
  
Tensado didn't answer. Ketra giggled. "What's so damn funny, Ketra?!"  
  
"He doesn't want to," Ketra said, "Because he's not wearing anything underneath   
  
it." Lina would have facefaulted, had she not already been on the ground. She   
  
had forgotten about that. "I was wondering about that," Ketra went on, "But I   
  
was too embarrassed to ask. It makes sense now, though. He shifted forms   
  
recently and lost his clothing, didn't he?" She giggled again.  
  
Lina could almost *hear* Tensado blush. "Well, I managed to salvage my belt,"   
  
he said quietly, "But, yeah, that's about it."  
  
"Hey!" the fairy shouted, "Aren't we forgetting something?!"  
  
"Right," Lina muttered, "The damn fairy. Look, Maia, I don't know what happened   
  
to your friends, but I swear I didn't do it!"  
  
"I can vouch for her," Tensado said, "I've been with her for the last two days,   
  
and you're the first fairy we've seen."  
  
"Really?" Maia asked.  
  
"Yes, really!" Lina shouted, "Now can you turn our clothes back?!"  
  
The fairy flew over to Lina again. "Then you don't know anything about that   
  
icky mist?"  
  
There was a long silence. "The mist that blocks out magic?" Lina finally asked.  
  
"So you DO know about it!" Maia said, accusingly.  
  
"Yeah," Lina told her, "But we didn't have anything to do with it. Let us up   
  
and we'll tell you what we know."  
  
The fairy princess thought for a moment. "All right. I'll believe you, but   
  
only because you're traveling with an elf." She closed her eyes, and a golden   
  
aura formed around her. Lina felt her clothing soften around her.  
  
"Thanks," Lina said, sitting up, "Now let's get a few things straight." She was   
  
suddenly cut off as Ketra screamed. Lina turned to see her curled up against a   
  
tree. A bunch of white thread littered the ground around her.  
  
"What happened to my dress?" Ketra asked, turning bright crimson. True enough,   
  
while her armor remained, her actual clothing seemed to have disappeared. Lina   
  
looked down to find herself in a similar state of undress, only worse, because   
  
she wasn't wearing a breastplate.  
  
"Um... oops," Maia said, quietly.  
  
"Oops my ass!" Lina yelled, covering herself with her hands, "What happened?"  
  
"Well," Maia said, meekly, "Turning clothing into silver's pretty easy, because   
  
silver's all one big piece. I guess I forgot to weave the threads together when   
  
I changed it back. Sorry!"  
  
"Sorry?" Lina exclaimed, "SORRY?!" She leapt to her feet and grabbed the fairy.   
  
"I'll show you sorry!!!" A sudden thought occurred to her. "Tensado, you'd   
  
better be looking the other way, or you're a dead man!"  
  
Tensado suddenly found the bark of a tree to be much more interesting than two   
  
naked women.  
  
"Is your cloak still intact, Tensado?" Ketra asked.  
  
"More or less," Tensado responded, still staring at the tree, "It's mostly one   
  
piece, but it's lost all its hemming."  
  
"I'm really, really sorry," Maia said.  
  
"As soon as I get some clothes, you are so dead, fairy," Lina growled.  
  
"Let's just get our supplies so we can change," Ketra said, "Where did you   
  
tether Safiya, my horse?"  
  
Maia blinked in confusion. "Um... I'm a fairy. I'm just under two inches tall.   
  
How do you expect me to tether a horse?"  
  
***  
  
Xellos was in heaven. Well, that's probably not the term he'd choose to   
  
describe it, but it's fairly accurate in this case.  
  
He had spent the entire day in this disgustingly peaceful little town. All he   
  
had to feed off of was Amelia's frustration, which was decent enough, but   
  
nothing compared to this.  
  
Zelgadis glared at Amelia across the table, while Amelia deliberately didn't   
  
look at him. The emotions flowing from the two of them were amazing. Anger,   
  
frustration, sadness, regret. It was a virtual feast of dark emotions. Then   
  
there was Zelgadis's mother, Zahara. Her sad, quiet longing was a Mazoku's   
  
equivalent of a finely aged wine. The fact that the one she longed for was in   
  
front of her just made it even better.  
  
"So... Mother tells me you two are getting married," Solto said, trying to break   
  
the oppressive silence that had descended on the table. Amelia didn't respond.   
  
Xellos, on the other hand...  
  
"Oh yes!" he said cheerfully, "We're on our way to meet with my future mother-  
  
in-law, and then we'll be hitched before you know it." There was a scrape as   
  
Zelgadis pushed his chair out and stood up. "Is something wrong, brother?"  
  
"I've lost my appetite," he said, gruffly, "If it's all right, I'll turn in for   
  
the night."  
  
"I don't see why you're being so difficult about this!" Amelia shouted, knocking   
  
over her chair as she leapt to her feet.  
  
"I think you've said all you have to say about this, sister," he spat out the   
  
last word.  
  
"She's your mother!" Amelia blurted out without thinking, "Do you really think   
  
she's going to care what you look like?" She suddenly realized what she had   
  
just said, and clapped her hands over her mouth, turning bright red in the   
  
process. Zelgadis just stared at her. If looks could kill, Amelia would have   
  
died on the spot.  
  
"Amelia dear and Zel haven't told their mother about his... condition," Xellos   
  
interjected, although to be completely honest, he wasn't entirely sure why he   
  
was doing this.  
  
"Stay out of this!" the chimera snapped.  
  
"What?" Xellos asked innocently, or as innocently as a Mazoku could manage,   
  
"She'll be my mother, too, soon." There was a scrape of steel as Zelgadis drew   
  
his sword, and pointed it at Xellos's neck, the tip half an inch from the   
  
demon's throat.  
  
"Say that again," he hissed, "And I swear to Cephied, I WILL find a way to kill   
  
you."  
  
"Stop this!" Mrs. Tella shrieked.  
  
"Please," Zahara said, softly, "You're all family, aren't you?" His mother's   
  
pleas were too much for Zelgadis; he sheathed his sword, and sat back down, not   
  
meeting anyone's eyes. Amelia picked up her chair and sat down as well. She   
  
resumed not looking at Zelgadis.  
  
"This stew is delicious," Xellos said, holding up his empty bowl, "May I have   
  
seconds?" Two generations of Tellas stared at him as if he had gone absolutely   
  
insane. "You have to keep things in perspective," he told them, "This happens   
  
all the time. It's a bit unusual, but it's family."  
  
"You should treasure family while you have it," Solto said, reaching out to take   
  
his wife's hand, "Anyone in this house has enough regrets for all of us.   
  
There's nothing worse than losing family."  
  
"But there's nothing better than having it," Zelgadis's mother said with a weak   
  
smile, "I wouldn't trade my memories for anything in the world." She started to   
  
giggle. "Solto dear, do you remember that time when Ketra fell from the old   
  
oak? She was only eight feet off the ground, but Zelgadis was in tears!"   
  
Amelia stifled a laugh. Out of the corner of his eyes, she could see Zelgadis   
  
starting to blush through his fingers.  
  
Solto burst out laughing. "Oh, sweet Cephied, I remember him running to my   
  
house and telling me she was horribly injured," he calmed down a bit, "Granted,   
  
I didn't think it was funny at the time, but..." he started laughing again.  
  
"He didn't sleep at all that night, he kept asking me if she was going to live!"   
  
Zahara said.  
  
Solto continued to chuckle. "Then there was the time when Zelgadis started   
  
learning magic." He laughed harder.  
  
Amelia saw Zelgadis bury his face in his hands.  
  
"What happened?" she asked, curiously.  
  
"He was showing off in front of Ketra," Solto told her, "And he lost control of   
  
a fireball. Completely destroyed my shed."  
  
"How about when they were playing 'Dragon Slayer' indoors, and they knocked over   
  
my great-grandmother's vase," Zahara said. She turned to Amelia. "We found   
  
them at the carriage station with their bags packed. They were only six at the   
  
time. It was so cute, neither of us could punish them."  
  
"Ah, yes," Solto smiled, "Back when Ketra was scared of her clothes chest."  
  
"Huh?" Amelia asked, "Why would she be afraid of that?"  
  
"She was convinced it was a mimic, and would bite her arm off if she tried to   
  
take anything from it."  
  
Amelia blinked in confusion. "What's a mimic?"  
  
"A seemingly useless bit of trivia which will inevitably be important later on,"   
  
Xellos replied casually.  
  
"What?" Amelia asked.  
  
"Woops!" Xellos said with a smile, "I meant to say, a mimic is a monster that   
  
hides itself as a chest and waits for unwary travelers to try to open it."  
  
Zahara smiled, but the smile quickly faded with a sigh. "Hold on to your loved   
  
ones," she advised, "You never know when they'll disappear."  
  
Anna leaned over to Amelia. "Perhaps you should tell him your little secret,   
  
dearie," she whispered, "It's not healthy to let things simmer inside you like   
  
that, and the longer you wait, the harder it will be to tell him." She had said   
  
it very softly, but Zelgadis's pointed ears did more than just look odd.  
  
"What secret?" he asked harshly, looking up. His anger was clearly visible. If   
  
she had said something to Mrs. Tella... he didn't know what he would do, but it   
  
wouldn't be pretty.  
  
Now it was Amelia's turn to blush. "It's nothing, really," she stammered."  
  
"Amelia," he said, in a tone that could only be described as dangerous, "Tell   
  
me."  
  
Amelia sweatdropped. It was embarrassing enough as it was; she certainly didn't   
  
want Zelgadis to know. But if he thought she was hiding something about his   
  
family, he'd only get madder.  
  
"I... um..." She could feel her face heating up more and more, "We didn't want   
  
to tell you until after the wedding, but... Imcarryingxellossbaby!" she blurted   
  
out.  
  
Zelgadis was very silent. She didn't think he'd take it this badly. Maybe he   
  
was mad at her for lying in front of his mother... but HE was the one who didn't   
  
want them to tell the truth.  
  
Suddenly Zelgadis exploded into laughter. He could barely breathe, he was   
  
laughing so hard.  
  
"Well, dear..." Mrs. Tella said, just as surprised by Zelgadis's reaction as   
  
anyone else, "He took that... better than I expected." Amelia burst into tears.  
  
***  
  
"Oi, Delvier!" Gourry said, bringing his horse up alongside his brother's.  
  
"Yeah?" the knight asked.  
  
"Doesn't this road keep going to Seyruun?" the blonde swordsman asked, "Why are   
  
we turning here."  
  
"You really do have pudding for brains, don't you Gourry?"  
  
"You know, Lina said the same thing," Gourry replied.  
  
Delvier chuckled. "Small wonder. Now, try to stay with me here, Gourry. We   
  
have you, so what else do we need to go through with this?"  
  
Gourry thought for a moment. "Um... cake?"  
  
A bead of sweat formed on Delvier's forehead. "No, you dolt! Try again!"  
  
Gourry's brow furrowed in concentration. Suddenly, his face brightened. "I've   
  
got it!" he said, snapping his fingers.  
  
"Yes?" Delvier asked, more than ready for some idiotic response.  
  
"We need 'her,' don't we?" he asked. Delvier nodded, rather surprised that   
  
Gourry had gotten it right. "How are we going to get her to come? She's gotta   
  
be pretty mad at me."  
  
"That's already taken care of," Delvier said nonchalantly, "I told her I knew of   
  
a great treasure and I'd meet up with her in Seyruun to discuss the details."  
  
Gourry's eyes went wide. "Really? What kind of treasure?"  
  
Delvier dropped his head. "Gourry, you really are dense. There is no treasure,   
  
I just said that to get her to come."  
  
"You lied?" Gourry asked in amazement, "You do realize once she finds out,   
  
she'll kill us both. Even *I'm* smart enough to know that, brother."  
  
Delvier nodded. "That's what the side trip is for. We'll need something to...   
  
persuade her to forgive us."  
  
Gourry paused. "Yeah," he said, finally, "She's pretty easy to buy off, isn't   
  
she? So where are we going?"  
  
"There's a Dukedom this way, right near the Zefiela border, called Trebec. The   
  
Duke there is insanely rich. Accent on the insane part. He holds public   
  
showings where he gives out large quantities of money to whoever can win his   
  
contests."  
  
"What kind of contests?" Gourry asked.  
  
"Normally he asks a bunch of trivia questions, but he changes it around from   
  
time to time. Ah, here we are."  
  
Gourry looked around as he and his brother entered the city of Trebec. A woman   
  
was out on the balcony of her house, beating the dust out of a rug. A gang of   
  
small children laughed as they chased a ball across the street.  
  
"Looks ordinary enough to me," the blonde swordsman commented.  
  
"It is," Delvier told him, "At least most of it is. You need to talk to the   
  
right people to find out how strange this place truly is. Here we go. The   
  
Contestant Inn."  
  
"Odd name for an inn," Gourry said.  
  
"It gets odder," the knight replied. Despite Delvier's warnings, Gourry   
  
couldn't help but think that the inn seemed rather normal on the inside. He   
  
started to wonder if Delvier had looked at his map wrong.  
  
"Hi!" the young clerk said in a loud, cheerful voice as they approached,   
  
"Welcome to the Contestant Inn. Today's lodgings are brought to you by Seyruun   
  
Quilts - so soft, they're like sleeping under a cloud - and Mr. Felmar's   
  
Butchery - the finest meat for the finest meals."  
  
Gourry took a step back. "Um... okay." He turned to Delvier. "Can we go   
  
somewhere else?" he asked quietly, "This place is starting to freak me out."  
  
"We'd like a room," Delvier said, ignoring his brother.  
  
"Very good," the clerk smiled, adopting a more normal tone, "Rooms are twelve   
  
gold pieces a night, and that comes with dinner and the continental breakfast.   
  
It costs an extra three gold-"  
  
"Actually," Delvier interrupted, "My brother and I would like one of the   
  
Contestant Suites."  
  
The young man's eyes brightened. "Really?" he said, "Hold on a second, I've   
  
been practicing this part." He cleared his throat, then said in a deep, loud   
  
voice. "Welcome to the Contestant Inn! Our contestants will be staying free of   
  
charge in the..." He stopped briefly to check his register, then continued on.   
  
"Price is Right Suite, where they'll be dining on the finest cuts of dragon   
  
steak from Mr. Felmar's Butchery - the finest meat for the finest meals! And   
  
what better way to relax at the end of a day full of trials and challenges than   
  
in our very own Red Phoenix hot springs. Plus, they'll each be receiving these   
  
beautiful, hand-woven, official Trebec tunics courtesy of Stitch in Time   
  
Tailoring..." He reached below the counter and came up with a pair of deep blue   
  
tunics, which he handed to the brothers. "When you need quality clothing, and   
  
you need it yesterday, think Stitch in Time Tailoring! And finally, a five gold   
  
coin gift certificate good at any store in the Trebec area!" By this point, the   
  
boy was short on breath, and his cheeks had gone red. "How'd I do?" he asked.  
  
"Very nicely done," Delvier said. "That practice must have paid off. It's nice   
  
to see a man who takes his job seriously."  
  
The boy beamed at the compliment. "Right, here's your keys. Your suite's on   
  
the second floor. Just look for the door that says 'The Price is Right' in   
  
white letters."  
  
"Thanks," Delvier replied, flipping a gold coin at the clerk. "Come on,   
  
Gourry."  
  
"How much is this gonna cost?" Gourry said, once they had found the door the   
  
clerk had described, and gone inside. The room was a huge lounge area with two   
  
doors leading to the bedrooms. Beautifully carved furniture was spread out   
  
around the room, and the sliding glass doors opened onto a balcony with a   
  
wondrous view of the sun setting behind the mountains.  
  
Delvier sighed. "What I wouldn't give to be sharing this room with some busty,   
  
starry-eyed serving girl, but instead I'm with my braindead brother." Gourry   
  
didn't take offense at this. He knew his brother well enough to know that he   
  
never meant anything seriously. "In case you missed the sales pitch," he said   
  
searching through the furniture for something, "This is all free of charge. Ah!   
  
Here we go, the mini-bar!" He opened up a small cabinet and started rummaging   
  
through the bottles of wine inside it.  
  
"But why?" Gourry asked, as clueless as ever.  
  
"Because we're going to be competing in tomorrow's contests," the paladin   
  
responded, "Ooh, nice year, maybe it's not too late to find one of those serving   
  
girls..." He smiled to himself. "Anyway, let's head down to that hotspring   
  
before dinner. It'll give us a chance to size up some of our competition, and   
  
besides," he gave his brother a nudge in the ribs and a sly smile, "It's co-ed."  
  
Gourry sighed. "You never change, do you, Delvier?"  
  
***  
  
"Hold on, Tensado," Ketra said, suddenly, stopping what had been a rather   
  
constant stream of vulgarities, "I think the tracks turned here." It was   
  
getting late, and they still hadn't caught up to Safiya. It was awkward to   
  
begin with, as modesty required Tensado lead, even though Ketra was the only one   
  
who knew how to track well enough to follow the trails in the limited light.  
  
"Are you sure?" Tensado asked.  
  
The half-elf knelt to examine the ground. "Yeah, she turned here. Come back a   
  
bit." Tensado started to turn around, when Ketra shrieked.  
  
"Don't look, stupid!" Lina yelled.  
  
"Sorry," Tensado apologized quickly, "I didn't see anything." Awkwardly, he   
  
started walking backwards.  
  
"That's good enough," Ketra told the werewolf as he approached them, "She turned   
  
to your left." Tensado pushed his way through the brush, and they continued on.  
  
Lina turned to Ketra as they walked. "You didn't have to scream like that," she   
  
told her.  
  
Ketra blushed. "Sorry," she said sheepishly, "I reacted like a teenage girl   
  
catching a peeping tom, didn't I?"  
  
"At least you've got your breastplate to give you SOME decency," Lina muttered.  
  
"That's not necessarily a good thing," Ketra said, loosening her armor's straps   
  
a bit, "Do you have any idea how much this chafes?"  
  
Maia flew alongside them, all but forgotten at the moment. She had been silent   
  
during the trip, not wanting to remind the women exactly WHY they were traipsing   
  
naked through the forest. She hoped once they were clothed, Lina would be a bit   
  
more forgiving (and Ketra might stop swearing, for that matter), but at this   
  
rate, it felt like it would take them all night to find the horse.  
  
No sooner had she thought this, than Tensado suddenly took off, disappearing   
  
from view.  
  
"Tensado?" Lina called out, "Tensado? Where did he go?!"  
  
Tensado darted quickly through the underbrush, following the scent of the horse.   
  
It was faint at first, so he had to hurry, or risk losing it, but it would be   
  
much faster than trying to follow those tracks in the dim light. In a   
  
relatively short time, he came upon a clearing. In the middle, stood Safiya,   
  
her black body barely visible in the moonlight. She turned her head sharply,   
  
as he stepped out from the brush.  
  
"Easy, girl," he whispered, as he approached the horse, "It's me, Tensado.   
  
Remember me?" She seemed very nervous, but Tensado kept talking to her in   
  
soothing tones, and soon she had calmed down.  
  
A sudden rustling in the bushes startled them both.  
  
"Lina?" Tensado asked, cautiously, "Is that you?"  
  
Lina's voice responded. "Yeah, it's me. Now turn around." Tensado walked to   
  
the other side of the clearing. He heard more rustling behind him, then he   
  
heard Ketra's voice.  
  
"You poor girl," she said, running a hand gently down the back of Safiya's neck,   
  
"I wonder what frightened you."  
  
Lina moved eagerly towards the packs the horse carried. "I don't care as long   
  
as she has some clothing!"  
  
Tensado could feel his face heating up. "I, um, I think I'll look around the   
  
area, while you two get dressed." He quickly disappeared into the woods.  
  
"What's gotten into him?" Lina wondered, rummaging through her packs.  
  
Ketra started pulling off her armor. "He's probably just self-conscious. I   
  
mean, neither of us are really wearing anything, and he's only got his cloak.   
  
Oh, Ceiphied, it feels good to get that off." She had finally removed her   
  
breastplate, littering the ground with more white thread.  
  
Lina couldn't help but noticed the half-elf was rather well formed. She might   
  
not have been anything close to Naga's size, or even Amelia's for that matter,   
  
but she was certainly better endowed than Lina was. Lina sighed. Why did every   
  
girl she traveled with have to have bigger breasts than hers?  
  
After quite a bit of searching through the packs, they came to the conclusion   
  
that neither of them actually had a spare set of clothing with them. Lina   
  
realized she must have lost hers when they ran away from that mob in Gelfia.   
  
Ketra HAD a change of clothes, but her bag had torn open during Sefiya's flight   
  
through the forest, and most of what was inside had spilled out somewhere.  
  
In the end, they had to settle for their nightwear: pink pajamas in Lina's case,   
  
and a long flowing white nightgown for Ketra. It wasn't exactly ideal, but it   
  
was a lot better than wandering around naked.  
  
"I'm really sorry," Maia apologized again, once the two were dressed, "But if   
  
you HAD killed my companions, you might have attacked me. I didn't mean to   
  
destroy your clothing."  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Lina said. Now that she had settled down, she realized it wasn't   
  
really the fairy's fault, "So what exactly happened to your friends?"  
  
Maia sat down on Safiya's saddle. "Well, about three days ago," she explained,   
  
"A whole bunch of animals got driven out of the cave to the northeast - the one   
  
you came out of. A group of Explorers were sent out to investigate, and I was   
  
chosen to lead. It was my first time leading a party, so I wanted to show   
  
everyone that I really was Queen Maab's daughter. But... when we entered the   
  
cave..." the tiny girl suddenly got very sad.  
  
"Faeries are magical creatures," Lina pondered out loud, "And that mist seems to   
  
block out magic, so..."  
  
"Before I knew what had happened, they were all dead!" Maia cried, "There   
  
weren't even any bodies left! They fell to the ground like injured birds, and   
  
they... they..." she sniffled a few times, before finally screaming out, "They   
  
faded away into nothing!" And she burst into tears.  
  
"Oh, you poor thing!" Ketra said, picking up the fairy and gently hugging her.   
  
Just then there was a large cracking sound, as the branches of a tree gave way,   
  
and Tensado came crashing to the ground.  
  
"Um... hi, guys," Tensado said, looking up at the three girls looking down at   
  
him, "I can explain..."  
  
"DIM WIND!" Lina shouted sending Tensado flying across the clearing. He crashed   
  
into a tree, and landed in a heap on the ground, his cloak spread out behind   
  
him. Ketra turned her head, blushing profusely. Maia just stared. As soon as   
  
Tensado had recovered from the shock of being blasted into a tree, he quickly   
  
pulled his cloak around him. His face quickly surpassed Ketra's in shade.  
  
"You deserve a lot more than that," Lina said through clenched teeth, "Spying on   
  
us like that. No wonder you were so anxious to 'look around.'"  
  
"I didn't mean to spy on you," Tensado protested, "Honest!"  
  
Lina wasn't buying it, though. "Then what were you doing in that tree?" she   
  
asked. Almost as if answering her, a body fell from the tree, landing with a   
  
thud at her feet. A long knife stuck out of the dead man's back.  
  
"Dealing with him," Tensado replied. He picked up the dagger, cleaned it on the   
  
man's shirt, and returned it to his belt, hidden underneath his cloak. "There   
  
was another one," he added, "But he got away while I was stuck in the tree."  
  
"He's wearing the same outfit as the brigands earlier," Lina noted, "And they   
  
seemed to know the man we met in the cave... What did they call him? Jenso?"  
  
Maia suddenly spoke up. "A man in the cave? Do you mean the one with the   
  
mist?"  
  
"Yeah," Tensado nodded, "Why?"  
  
The fairy flew up to Lina and bowed to her. "Please, Miss Inverse, help me find   
  
this Jenso!"  
  
Nervous sweat formed on Lina's forehead. "Um... I'm kind of busy right now,"   
  
she told the princess.  
  
"Please!" Maia insisted, "I... I can't go home until I've found out what   
  
happened."  
  
Lina looked at the fairy. "This isn't one of those 'I've failed, so I can't   
  
return' honor things, is it? Those can be such a pain in the ass!"  
  
"No... not exactly," Maia said, "I could return home, but if I came back like   
  
this... my entire team is dead, and I don't even have something to show for it.   
  
I'll be the laughing stock of the entire fairy kingdom." She looked down at her   
  
feet. "Everybody's expecting me to fail. I even heard the guards taking bets   
  
on how long it would take me to fly crying back to my mother."  
  
"That's awful!" Ketra exclaimed, feeling very sorry for the little fairy.  
  
Maia wiped at her eyes. "Well I'm not going to let them see me cry. I'll show   
  
them all." As her voice became more determined, she began to glow. "So what if   
  
I'm a little clumsy with my magic? I've got more magic power than any fairy in   
  
the last six hundred years! My mother trusted me with this job, and I am NOT   
  
going to let her down!" Her enthusiasm waned at this point, and she stopped   
  
glowing. "But I can't do it on my own. I can't fight the mist. I need your   
  
help."  
  
There was a small poof, and a little devil Lina showed up on her shoulder. "Why   
  
are you even considering this? That little bitch has caused nothing but   
  
trouble. You don't owe her anything. Besides, you've got more important things   
  
to take care of." She held up a poster with a picture of Gourry. In large   
  
letters on the top it said 'Missing,' and at the bottom it read 'Answers to:   
  
Pudding-for-brains.'  
  
Predictably, there was another poof, as a saintly version of Lina appeared on   
  
the opposite shoulder. "Now, now, she needs your help. She's in trouble, and   
  
only the great, magnificent, wonderful, beautiful Lina Inverse can-"  
  
"Stop buttering her up!" Devil Lina yelled, "She's not going to help that stupid   
  
fairy, and there's nothing you can do about it!"  
  
"Oh yeah?" Angel Lina yelled back.  
  
"Yeah!" Devil Lina retorted, pulling her hands forward, "Origin of all power..."  
  
"Bring it on, bitch!" Angel Lina said, tackling the devil in mid-chant. Lina   
  
stared in confusion as her id and superego clashed in a fury of fists. When the   
  
dust cleared, Angel Lina stood on top of an unconscious Devil Lina, raising two   
  
fingers in the victory sign.  
  
"Now that that's settled," the angel said, "Here's what you're going to do.   
  
You're going to help Maia find Jenso, and when you do, you're going to make that   
  
bastard pay for all the crap you've had to put up with. Your wrist, Tensado   
  
almost dying, hell, even the whole clothing issue is indirectly his fault. So   
  
let's find him, and give him what he deserves!" And with that, the   
  
manifestations of Lina's mind disappeared.  
  
"All right," Lina told the despondent fairy, "I'll help you, Maia. Together,   
  
we'll make that creep suffer!"  
  
***  
  
Amelia sat down on the bed and let out a heavy sigh.  
  
"Something wrong, dear?" Xellos asked with a grin. Amelia just glared at him.   
  
He disappeared with a black flicker, and reappeared on the bed, next to Amelia.   
  
"Oh, Amelia-chan, let's not fight!" he said melodramatically.  
  
"Go away," Amelia said, standing up and walking away from him, "I hate you."   
  
Suddenly she found herself walking right into Xellos, who wrapped his arms   
  
around her.  
  
"Aw, isn't it great?" he said cheerfully, "Our first lover's spat. Can we kiss   
  
and make up now?"  
  
Amelia tore herself out of his embrace. "Leave me alone," she told him,   
  
harshly.  
  
"You know, this is rather odd," the Mazoku commented.  
  
"What is?" Amelia snapped, not turning to look at him.  
  
"Seeing you this angry. I've seen you be sad, or assertive to uphold justice,   
  
but never with these dark, brooding feelings." He appeared in front of her   
  
again. "They don't quite fit."  
  
"So what?" Amelia said, sitting back down on the bed and sulking, "I think I've   
  
got a right to be angry."  
  
"I never said that you couldn't be angry, just that it seemed... out of place."  
  
"So what? It's not like you care."  
  
Xellos shrugged. "True."  
  
"Could you leave so I can get changed?" Amelia asked.  
  
"That's probably not that good an idea," Xellos told her, "How would you explain   
  
it to Mrs. Tella why your lover is standing out in the hallway while you   
  
change?"  
  
Amelia practically didn't care anymore. She just wanted this day to be over.   
  
She didn't think she had ever been so miserable in her entire life. She dragged   
  
Xellos over to a chair. "Just sit here and look straight ahead," she told him.   
  
She quickly shed her clothing and pulled on her pajamas. "There, I'm... done."  
  
Xellos winked at her through the mirror.  
  
"I hate this," she muttered.  
  
"I only did what you told me to," Xellos said, innocently, "You have a very nice   
  
figure, by the way." Amelia stared at him for a moment, then lay down on the   
  
bed, facing away from him.  
  
"Good night, Mr. Xellos," she said.  
  
"If it would make you feel any better, you could watch me change," the dark   
  
priest offered. The princess didn't say anything, she just pulled the covers   
  
over her head.  
  
***  
  
Jenso was not in a good mood by the time he had returned to the fortress. The   
  
spirit shaman pounded heavily on the thick stone door. A small slit in the door   
  
opened up.  
  
"Who goes there?" a squeaky voice asked. Jenso bent down to look through the   
  
slit, which was at eye level for most people, but barely reached the giant's   
  
chest. On the other side of the door he saw a single eye looking back at him,   
  
the other being covered by an eyepatch.  
  
"It's me, Fisk," Jenso growled, "Open up!" He didn't get along with Fisk under   
  
the best of circumstances. After the battle at the cave, Fisk was the last   
  
person Jenso wanted to see.  
  
"Did something go wrong?" Fisk asked with a grin. Fisk had a unique sense of   
  
humor, which meant that he thought he was funny, even if all he did was annoy   
  
everyone around him.  
  
"Open this door, Fisk!" Jenso roared.  
  
Fisk's grin only widened. "All right, all right," he said, as he lifted the   
  
heavy oak bar from the door, "You need to relax more."  
  
Jenso resisted the urge to attack the scrawny man. Fisk might not look like   
  
much, but he was incredibly fast of foot, and Jenso knew this. He was the one   
  
that took Fisk's left eye. He had meant for the blow to remove the bandit's   
  
entire head.  
  
"I'd tread carefully, Jenso," Fisk warned him, still grinning, "Rumor has it you   
  
let the girl get away. Lord Kenno isn't happy about that. He doesn't want THEM   
  
to think he can't handle his side of the deal."  
  
Jenso sighed, his massive hands clenching in frustration. Fisk apparently found   
  
this funny, because he started giggling madly. Jenso launched a fist at him,   
  
but the wry little thief dodged it easily, laughing even harder. Jenso wondered   
  
about the man's sanity, and not for the first time either.  
  
"How many of THEM have arrived yet?" Jenso asked, trying to ignore the high-  
  
pitched, squeaky laughter.  
  
As irritating as Fisk was, he was always well informed. "The Iron Dagger's   
  
here, along with her second. Dabria came about an hour ago, but she doesn't   
  
seem to have a second with her. As for the Mechanists, they're using that   
  
engine of theirs to bring a bunch of people back to Bezeld, but they'll be back   
  
in a little while."  
  
The shaman spat to the side. "Mechanists," he said in disgust, "The spirits do   
  
not like them."  
  
"Well that's the business of the spirits," Fisk said, patting the giant on the   
  
back, "But Lord Kenno likes 'em plenty!" He burst into laughter, even greater   
  
than before, and ran off down the hall.  
  
Jenso stared at the fleeing figure, wondering why Lord Kenno kept him around.   
  
The man was clearly insane. He shook his head and walked off towards Lord   
  
Kenno's chambers, unaware of the sign on his back that read 'Kick Me.'  
  
***  
  
It was late. The moon had risen, and the Red Phoenix hot spring was almost   
  
empty.  
  
Gourry stood up from the hot springs. Climbing out of the pool, he sat down in   
  
the sand and let out a heavy sigh.  
  
His brother looked up at him. Delvier had managed to find not one, but two   
  
'busty, starry-eyed serving girls.' Both of them had been lulled to sleep by   
  
the warm water, and rested their heads on Delvier's broad chest.  
  
"Something wrong, Gourry?" he asked.  
  
"Just nervous, I guess," was Gourry's reply, "I guess this is the end of my   
  
adventuring days."  
  
"I'm sure one of these women," he indicated the girls sleeping on his chest,   
  
"Wouldn't mind taking your mind off of things for the night."  
  
Gourry sighed. "You have a one-track mind, don't you brother?"  
  
"Nah, I just like to have a little fun every now and then."  
  
"Have you ever considered looking for something..." The swordsman searched for   
  
the right word. "Deeper?" he finally finished. Delvier glared at him, his   
  
friendly demeanor vanishing suddenly. "Sorry," he said quickly, "I shouldn't   
  
have asked that. I know how much Mabel meant to you. I liked her, too."  
  
Delvier sighed. "It's not your fault," he said, "You're just an idiot." He   
  
looked at his left hand, at the indentation on the base of his fourth finger.   
  
"I've been married four times now, Gourry." Gourry opened his mouth to ask   
  
something, but his brother cut him off, answering his question before he even   
  
asked it. "Yeah, I tried again after you left. It just... never works out."   
  
After a long pause, he finally asked, "What about you, Gourry? Have you met   
  
anyone special since I last saw you?"  
  
Gourry frowned, thinking of her, even though he'd never admit it. "Doesn't   
  
really matter," he said, smiling, "My fate's sealed."  
  
"Oh, come on," Delvier said, "It's not that bad, is it?"  
  
"I guess I could do worse."  
  
"Why don't we call it a night, bro," Delvier said, gently removing himself from   
  
between the two girls.  
  
The two retired to their suite, and prepared for bed. Just as Delvier was about   
  
to crawl under the covers, a loud knock was heard. He looked out into the   
  
suite's main room, at the same time Gourry's head popped out from behind his   
  
door.  
  
"Did you order room service?" Delvier asked. Gourry shook his head. "Better   
  
see who it is, then." Delvier picked up his sword belt, pulling it on over his   
  
pajamas. Cautiously, he approached the door, Gourry right behind him.  
  
It was the clerk from earlier. "Ah, Mr. Gourry!" he said, "I need you to come   
  
with me."  
  
Gourry blinked. "Huh?"  
  
"What's going on?" Delvier asked, suspiciously.  
  
"I'm not allowed to tell you," the clerk replied, "But it's very important. You   
  
should come, too, Mr. Delvier. Hurry, this way." He started off down the hall,   
  
not waiting to see if the Gabrievs were following him.  
  
"What do we do?" Gourry asked.  
  
"Let's see what he wants," Delvier said, "But keep your sword ready."  
  
***  
  
"What in Cephied's name is this?" Lina asked. The phenomenon in question were   
  
two metal rails, spaced about five feet apart, which ran off through the woods   
  
in either direction as far as the eye could see. Wooden boards stretched   
  
between them, apparently holding them in place.  
  
"I've never seen anything like it," Ketra replied. She turned to Maia. "Do you   
  
know anything about this?"  
  
The fairy looked at the strange setup. "Well, we're kinda out of the Fairy   
  
Kingdom, but I think I heard some scouts report about a bunch of humans messing   
  
around down here."  
  
"Do you hear something?" Tensado suddenly asked. The others stopped to listen,   
  
and sure enough, they could hear a low rumbling sound. Out of nowhere, a giant   
  
metal dragon raced through the forest. It let out a loud roar as it charged   
  
directly at them, staring at them with one glowing eye.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Send all comments, complaints, death threats, money, etc. to bkuhn@ucsd.edu 


	5. Pajama Party, Part 2!

Disclaimer: Yadda, yadda, yadda, Slayers copyright of Kadokawa Shoten and TV   
  
Tokyo, blah, blah, blah, send comments to bkuhn@ucsd.edu yackity shmackity...  
  
you get the drift  
  
Wow. I can't believe it took me two years between chapters. That's what happens when real life attacks. Oh well, better late than never.  
  
Special thanks go out to my pre-readers: Masa, Sethra, and NJSilver  
  
Lina: (growls) That's it, I'm going to kill the author! What was up with that last chapter!  
  
Gourry: What was wrong with last chapter?  
  
Lina: All the fanservice! Making me and Ketra trudge through the woods naked, Amelia changing in front of Xellos...  
  
Amelia (bursts into tears) THIS SUCKS!!!  
  
Lina: Quiet! Princesses aren't supposed to say things like that. Anyway, given the title of this chapter, it looks like there's going to be even more of this stuff.  
  
Amelia: (drying her eyes) At least the author was fair about it and put in some scenes of the guys. Like at the onsen. (giggles) The Gabrievs sure are muscular, aren't they?  
  
Lina: (giggles) Tell me abo- wait, that's not the point!  
  
Zelgadis: Considering this is all text without image, who really cares? Let's just do the recap.  
  
Lina: All right.  
  
Amelia: Um... how should we do this? Now that Gourry and Delvier are back in the story, we've got three groups.  
  
Lina: Simple, I'll recap the Gabrievs, you do my group, and Gourry can go over what's happening at the Tella's house. I'll start. (clears her throat) Very little information has been given about Delvier's plans. All we know is it involves an unknown woman that Delvier has tricked into meeting them at Seyruun. In order to avoid a bloody death when she finds out, Delvier and Gourry make a quick side trip to an odd dukedom called Trebec to get something to buy her forgiveness with. However, late in the night, a clerk arrives to bring Gourry to some mysterious event. Amelia, your turn.  
  
Amelia: Right! After meeting up with the Half-elven spellsmith, Ketra, the entire party is put under a sleep spell. It seems the strange mist in the cave kills fairies, and Princess Maia thinks Lina's responsible.  
  
Lina: Why does everyone always assume the worst of me? Just because I've blown up a town or two.  
  
Zelgadis: Five at last count.  
  
Amelia: (stepping between the two) Anyway, after convincing Maia of their innocence, she releases them, but destroys their clothing in the process, (giggles) so now they're walking around in their pajamas, when this strange metal monster comes at them, and... and that's where we left off. Gourry?  
  
Gourry: (puzzled) What?  
  
Lina: (gritting teeth) It's your turn to tell the readers what happened with Amelia's group.  
  
Gourry: Oh, okay. Um... let's see... Amelia forced Zelgadis to come back and have dinner with his mother, then Amelia and Xellos have an argument and Amelia went to bed. How was that?  
  
Lina: A bit concise.  
  
Gourry: Sorry.  
  
Lina: (sighs) Let's just get on with the fic.  
  
***  
  
Slayers: GO!  
  
Chapter 5: Pajama Party! Part 2  
  
*TAP*  
  
Amelia stirred at the sound, rolling over in the bed.  
  
*TAP*  
  
Amelia began to wake, sitting up and looking for the source of the noise. Xellos wasn't around - a fact that Amelia was immensely grateful for; she was beginning to understand why Zelgadis disliked him so much.  
  
*TAP*  
  
The noise was coming from the window. The young princess climbed out of bed. She opened the window and stuck her head out.  
  
*WHAP*  
  
"Ouch!" Amelia exclaimed. A small rock had hit her in the head.  
  
"Sorry," came a whispered reply. On the ground below the window stood Frenlea, a handful of pebbles in one hand.  
  
"Miss Frenlea?" Amelia whispered back, puzzledly, "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I thought you might need some cheering up," the elf replied, "Whenever my daughter was sad, I'd come by and we'd dance. It always cheered her up."  
  
"Thanks, Miss Frenlea," Amelia said, "but... why come in the middle of the night? Wouldn't it be better to dance when it's bright and sunny outside?"  
  
Frenlea shook her head. "Nope, has to be at night."  
  
"But why?" Amelia pressed.  
  
Frenlea paused. "It's an elf thing," she said, finally.  
  
"What does being an elf have to do with it?" Amelia asked.  
  
"You know," Frenlea said, just a bit crossly, "Ketra was never this troublesome."  
  
Amelia frowned. "Sorry."  
  
"Just kidding," Frenlea smiled up at her, "She was twice as bad. Now are you coming or not?"  
  
Amelia sighed. She really didn't feel like dancing, but she realized that Frenlea probably wasn't going to take no for an answer.  
  
A small glow emanated from her hands as she whispered "Levitation" and jumped out the window. Frenlea smiled as the princess slowly floated to the ground beside her. Without another word, she grabbed Amelia's hand and dragged her off into the woods.  
  
***  
  
There was a crash, as Kenno, the Bandit Prince, threw his wineglass against the wall. Jenso remained kneeling in front of him.  
  
"I'm sorry my lord," the giant said.  
  
Kenno snatched another wineglass from the shelf, and poured a new glass. "To be honest, I had hoped this was one of Fisk's jokes."  
  
"Again, I apologize."  
  
"Forget it," Kenno told him, "What's done is done. At least you have brought useful information. We won't be caught off guard by that wolf again." It was this calm, logical approach that had allowed Kenno to rise to become the Bandit Prince. He was tough, yet fair-handed, and thieves all across the world dreamt of serving in his band.  
  
A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. The prince nodded at Jenso, who opened the door to see a nervous looking young bandit, barely more than a child.  
  
"Your Highness," he bandit said, bowing low, "I was sent to tell you that Serilda and Nigel have returned. Everyone's waiting for you."  
  
Kenno turned his dark eyes to the boy. One corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk as he watched the boy freeze under his glare. The Bandit Prince's colorless eyes had an almost hypnotic effect, much like a snake's or a cat's.  
  
"Thank you," he said, standing up, "You may go now." The messenger ran off down the hall as quickly as he could.  
  
"You haven't lost your touch," Jenso observed with a grin.  
  
"Of course I haven't," Kenno replied, as he pulled on his coat, "I rule an army of brigands, lawbreakers by nature. The moment I show any weakness is the moment I've signed my death warrant."  
  
The pair of them left the fortress and headed through the woods. It wasn't far before they reached a clearing, where long rows of carnival tents had been set up. They walked down an aisle, and entered a tent that appeared to be used for storage. When they entered, however, they encountered an unusual sight. A woman, dressed in skin-tight black leather was holding Fisk by the collar.  
  
"Ah," Fisk said, smiling, as he spotted the pair of them, "Your Majesty! Perhaps you can help me clear things up. You see, I was just coming to make sure everyone was comfortable, when-"  
  
"You were spying on us," the woman said.  
  
"Well, of course," Fisk admitted.  
  
"Fisk, get out of here," Kenno told him.  
  
"Of course, Your Greatness," Fisk said, "But be careful of that one." He pointed to a tall figure, completely hidden underneath a heavy cloak. "I think the Iron Dagger's here trying to trick us by bringing a coat rack as her second. I swear, he hasn't moved an inch since I got here!" He laughed, and, oddly enough, a woman's musical laughter joined him. Everyone present turned to the woman. She was dressed in long white robes with gold trim. Her features were sharp, and very, very beautiful.  
  
"Ah, Dabria," Kenno said, bowing, "It is good to see you again."  
  
Dabria returned the bow. "And you as well, young lord. Tell me, what is the name of this whimsical man?"  
  
"You mean Fisk?" Kenno asked.  
  
Dabria nodded. "Is he a trustworthy person?"  
  
"You can trust him to annoy you to no end," Jenso told her.  
  
Kenno glared at his lieutenant, before turning back to Dabria. "He may be rather... eccentric, but he has never betrayed me."  
  
The beautiful woman paused in thought. "I don't suppose you would be willing to give him to me," she asked, "I haven't found my second yet, and he reminds me, in a fashion, of an old friend of mine."  
  
Kenno blinked in surprise. "Certainly, my lady. If Fisk is willing, of course."  
  
Fisk grinned madly. "I would be delighted to serve you, oh lovely one." He turned to Kenno. "It's been a pleasure to serve you, Your Grandness, but, and I hope you don't take this the wrong way, she's cuter than you." He winked at his former employer, bowed dramatically, and took his new place at Dabria's side.  
  
"Shall we get to business?" said a stern voice. The owner was Serilda Vendel, leader of the Mechanists, and every bit as stern as her voice suggested. Her eyes peering from behind spectacles took in everything that fell under her scrutinizing gaze. Her clothes were plain, but functional, and her hair pulled back into a tight bun. She was a woman who took everything with a deadly seriousness.  
  
"Yes, Miss Vendel," Kenno said, "We're all here. Let's begin the meeting."  
  
***  
  
The young clerk led Gourry and Delvier into a dark area, telling them only to wait there.  
  
"What do you think's going on?" Gourry nervously asked his brother.  
  
"I don't know," Delvier whispered back, "Just be prepared for anything. There are people out there who don't want us to arrive in Seyruun."  
  
Gourry was about to ask who these people might be, when bright lights suddenly filled the area, and a booming voice cried out.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our special 'Surprise Midnight Games!'" At this, there was a tremendous surge of applause from all around them.  
  
When their eyes had finally adjusted to the bright light, the two warriors were amazed at what they saw. They appeared to be in a colosseum of sorts, with a huge audience filling the stands. In front of them where several large steps, each one carrying several treasure chests.  
  
  
  
Next to them were two other people, similarly dressed in sleepwear. A well-dressed man with salt-and-pepper hair came down towards them. He held a strange object in his hand which appeared to make his voice louder.  
  
"Now, let's meet our contestants!" he said, as he approached a young man with black hair, "First, we have Kintaro Oe! Mr. Oe, why don't you tell us about yourself? Mr. Oe?"  
  
The young man wrenched his gaze away from the beautiful woman that was gesturing to the treasure chests. "What? Oh, hi. My name is Kintaro Oe, and I was studying to be a lawyer, but now I'm traveling the world, and studying life."  
  
"Let's hear it for Kintaro!" the man said, as the crowd applauded. He approached Gourry, looking at a small card. "Our next contestant is Gourry Gabriev. Gourry is the direct descendant of the legendary Swordsman of Light, and is credited for helping save the world four times!" The crowd applauded again. "So, how does it feel to be here, Mr. Gabriev?"  
  
Gourry stared in confusion at everything around him. "Um... what's going on?"  
  
The man laughed. "We'll get to that in a second. Finally, we have our returning champion, Mr. Keitaro Urashima!" The crowd burst into even louder applause than before. "Keitaro, if you win this round, you'll have earned over one million gold coins. What do you plan to do with all this money?"  
  
The young man looked embarrassed. "Well, Lord Trebec, I was thinking I'd use it to fix up Hinata Inn, and maybe hire a tutor to help me with the entrance exams."  
  
"That's great!" Trebec said, turning back to the audience, "And now our contestants will risk life and limb for thousands of gold coins in cash and prizes as we play..." At this point the entire crowd joined in with him. "DON'T... FIND... THE MIMIC!!!"  
  
***  
  
"Move!" Lina yelled, throwing herself to the side. Her companions did the same as the steel dragon raced passed them. Maia squeaked as she was tossed around in the slipstream, but the sound was lost in the heavy pounding of machinery.  
  
"Everyone all right?" Ketra called out.  
  
"I've been better," Lina muttered as she climbed out of a bush.  
  
"Are you okay, Maia?" Tensado asked, lifting the fairy up in gentle hands. She looked very pale, and her long dragonfly wings drooped behind her.  
  
"I... I'm okay," she said, "Just... so much iron."  
  
"Maybe this will help," Tensado said, "RECOVERY!" Maia was engulfed in the glow of the spell, and when it died down, she looked more like her energetic self.  
  
"Just what the hell was that thing?!" Lina yelled.  
  
"I think it's called a train," Ketra said, brushing twigs and bits of dirt from her nightgown, "I heard the Mechanists were building one to go from Seyruun to Bezeld. I didn't think they had finished it, though."  
  
"Who are the Mechanists?" Maia asked, flying out of Tensado's hands to hover in front of Ketra.  
  
"They showed up after the barrier came down," Ketra explained, "They're a group of scholars trying to help people with advanced machines. Some of the things they can do are amazing, and there's absolutely no magic involved."  
  
"They didn't have a lot of magic outside the barrier," Lina said, thinking about some of the things she had seen there. "They used other things to make up for it. Some of it's downright dangerous."  
  
"I don't like them," Maia declared.  
  
"I don't care," Lina snapped back. "They might have some clothing they can lend us. I do NOT want to enter town like this."  
  
"Well, these tracks have to lead somewhere," Tensado said, with his usual cheery optimism. "Who knows? Maybe we can use their train to get to Seyruun. We could even beat your friend there."  
  
Lina smiled. "I like the sound of that!" she said, running down the tracks. "Let's go!"  
  
***  
  
"Wow!" Amelia exclaimed, looking at the massive oak tree Frenlea had brought her to. It towered above the rest of the forest, and there was a wide clearing around it, as if the rest of the trees wanted to give it space.  
  
"This is the mother of the forest," Frenlea told the princess, "The oldest, tallest tree here."  
  
"It's so beautiful," Amelia said, running a hand across the tree's trunk.  
  
"There's one in every forest," the elf went on, "Even in the smallest groves. You just need to know how to look for them."  
  
Amelia leaned back, gazing up into the trees branches. She stood there for some time, until the sound of bells distracted her. She turned to see Frenlea had removed her dress and was putting on a pair of golden bracelets that tinkled beautifully as they moved. She knelt to attach a similar pair of anklets, then she started walking towards Amelia.  
  
"Now to take care of you," Frenlea smiled. Before Amelia realized what was going on, Frenlea had covered the distance between them, and quickly stripped Amelia of her clothing.  
  
Amelia blushed and covered herself with her hands. "Wh-What are you doing?" she asked.  
  
"You can't dance with all that clothing on," Frenlea told her as she neatly folded Amelia's pajamas, "It just gets in the way." She placed the clothing in a hollow at the base of the tree and pulled out a fancy wooden box. "Here," she said, tossing the box to Amelia, "Put these on."  
  
Amelia opened the box to see a pair of golden bracelets and anklets like the ones Frenlea wore. They had acorns on them that chimed at the slightest movement.  
  
"They're beautiful!" Amelia said, as she put them on.  
  
"They were my daughter's," Frenlea said, "Now, follow me."  
  
She began to dance around the clearing, the bells on her ankles and wrists playing as she spun and clapped. Amelia tried her best to copy Frenlea's movements. At first, she felt awkward and clumsy next to the gracefulness of the wild elf. But then, she was caught up in the dance, and it no longer mattered.  
  
***  
  
Lina blinked in amazement.  
  
"What the hell is this doing in the middle of the woods?!" she exclaimed.  
  
'This' turned out to be a large carnival, erected in the middle of a clearing. It was empty at the moment, but it had obviously contained a lot of people earlier in the day. A large flag with an iron gear on it flew above the main tent.  
  
"That's the Mechanists' symbol," Ketra said, looking at the flag.  
  
"And there's their train," Tensado added. Sure enough, the large machine was off to one side.  
  
Maia zipped around from tent to tent. "It doesn't look like anyone's here," she reported. "It's creepy.  
  
The entire thing was creepy, Lina thought. The moon was almost full, which gave them plenty of light, but this only seemed to make it worse. The brightly colored fabrics of the tents seemed somehow mocking in the still of the night.  
  
"Let's take a look around," she decided. Maia frowned at this. "I think it's creepy, too, but I'm not going to pass up a chance to get some real clothing, just because of that."  
  
They spread out and began checking the tents and booths. Every one they looked in was empty, but they kept going, searching them systematically as they made their way down the makeshift street towards the main tent.  
  
Every minute seemed to make the carnival more and more spooky. So when someone started whistling, they all jumped. Maia let out a squeak, and hid behind Tensado. They waited, perfectly still, as the tuneless whistling got louder and louder. After what seemed like ages, the whistler emerged from the fog.  
  
"Hey!" the young man said, noticing Tensado. "What are you doing here? I thought the rules were quite clear. Only leaders and their seconds are allowed. Your mistress isn't planning a double-cross, is she?" He wasn't exactly an intimidating figure. He looked to be a couple years younger than Lina, caught in the awkwardness of early adolescence. Although he was rather tall, he was incredibly skinny, suggesting he had gained a lot of height recently, and the rest of his body still had to catch up.  
  
"Why don't you let us ask the questions?" Lina said, grimly. He blinked in surprise as he noticed Ketra and Lina for the first time. Both had their swords drawn. He swallowed nervously, and took a hesitant step backwards.  
  
"That's far enough," Tensado said. A hand emerged from under his cloak, holding a throwing dagger that glimmered in the moonlight. "Why don't we take this conversation somewhere a little more... private?" Lina nodded, and gestured towards one of the empty tents with her sword.  
  
Inside, Lina turned over one of the barrels contained there, and motioned for the young man to sit. She grabbed another improvised seat for herself. Tensado and Ketra remained standing. Ketra was leaning against one of the tent poles, while Tensado stood directly behind the newcomer.  
  
"Let's start with your name," Lina said.  
  
"Nigel," he said, surprisingly calm. "Nigel Vendel. Say, you're Lina Inverse, aren't you?"  
  
His casual tone caught her off guard. "Y-yes. I am. Wait a minute! Don't turn this around. I'M the one asking questions."  
  
"Tell you what," Nigel said, leaning forward conspiratorially. "I'll tell you everything you want to know on one condition."  
  
"You're not exactly in a good position to be giving demands," Tensado reminded him.  
  
Nigel turned to look at the former assassin. "You won't get anything out of me if you kill me. My position's not nearly as bad as it looks. I have information you need. Trust me, this is stuff you'll want to know. I just want one thing in return."  
  
Lina stared at him, trying to determine whether he was being clever, or being stupid. Possibly both. "What's your price?" she finally asked.  
  
"Kidnap me."  
  
"What?" the others all said in unison.  
  
He glanced around, as if making sure no one else was around. "Look," he said, lowering his voice. "My mother is Serilda Vendel, the leader of the Mechanists. There's this... conspiracy. That's why this carnival is here. We're saying it's to celebrate getting halfway to Seyruun, but it's just a cover for them to meet. They don't tell us seconds very much, or at least, mother doesn't tell ME much, but I've heard enough to know I don't like it. I want out, but if I run for it, they'll kill me."  
  
"If we kidnap you, won't that get them after us?" Lina asked.  
  
"They're already after you," Nigel pointed out.  
  
"The shaman in the cave?" Tensado asked.  
  
"He's the second for the Bandit Prince."  
  
Ketra whistled. "So there really IS a Bandit Prince? I thought those were just rumors."  
  
Lina turned back to Nigel. "Who else is involved?" she asked.  
  
"The Assassin Guild, and some woman named Dabria." He looked around nervously. "Can we discuss this, you know, on the road? They're going to wonder where I went pretty soon, and I'd like to be out of here before they do."  
  
"One thing, first," Lina said. She blushed slightly. "Do you have any clothes we can borrow?"  
  
***  
  
They stopped dancing as the moon began to set. The eastern sky was touched with the faintest purples, hinting at the sunrise that was yet to come. Amelia's breath was heavy from the exertion, but she was smiling.  
  
"Thanks, Miss Frenlea," she said, "I feel a lot better now." The dance had distracted her from everything else, if only for a short while. The troubles of the past day came back to her, but now she saw that they were little things. In a day or two, they would be all but forgotten.  
  
Frenlea smiled. "Works every time." She glanced at the setting moon and sighed. "Two more nights, and the moon will be at its fullest. I'll probably be dancing alone again." Amelia thought she looked very lonely.  
  
"I don't know how long we'll be staying," Amelia told her, "But if I'm still here in two days, I'll come dance with you again. I promise!"  
  
The smile returned to the elf's face. "Thank you, Amelia," she said, "But I think you've got more important things ahead of you. You'd better head back now and try to catch some sleep before morning." Amelia, reminded of how late it was, suddenly yawned. She nodded sleepily at Frenlea, and had started back towards the Tella's house when Frenlea called out.  
  
"I think you're forgetting something!" Amelia turned around to see Frenlea holding up Amelia's pajamas.  
  
A short while later, Amelia headed out of the forest, fully dressed, and slightly flushed. Dew had formed on the grass, and by the time she reached the house, the cuffs of her pants were soaked. Looking east, she told herself she'd be changing out of them in a short while anyway. She also made a mental note to make sure Xellos was facing a wall this time.  
  
Making as little noise as possible, she snuck into the house.  
  
"It's Amelia, right?"  
  
Amelia turned to see Zahara, sitting in a rocking chair, staring out the window into the forest.  
  
"Yes," Amelia said, "That's me."  
  
"A little late to be up, isn't it?" Zahara asked, still looking out the window. Then she laughed. "Dear me, I haven't said that since I used to catch Zelgadis sneaking out to watch Ketra and her mother dance. Oh, I'd punish him whenever it happened, but it wouldn't stop him the next time, no matter what I did." She smiled. "Boys will be boys."  
  
Amelia laughed, awkwardly. "Uh, yeah, I guess." A sudden thought dawned on her, and she glanced out at the woods.  
  
"Don't worry," Zahara said, "He wasn't watching you, tonight."  
  
Amelia let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. I was worried that..." She trailed off as she realized the implications of what Zahara had just said. "But... I... He..." she stammered, looking for something to say. Finally she blurted out "You knew!" in a faintly accusatory tone.  
  
She turned to look at Amelia and smiled. "Yes, I know that Abram's patient is my son, Zelgadis. And I think I'd remember if I had a daughter, so I'm fairly sure you're not his sister."  
  
"How... How did you know?" Amelia asked.  
  
Zahara chuckled lightly. "Zelgadis is a fool to think a mother wouldn't recognize her own son, regardless of his appearance. That aside, of the three of you, only that Xellos fellow is a decent actor. Brothers and sisters don't cast glances at each other like that, when they think no one's looking. And a couple off to be married tend to not see anything but their partner's eyes, whereas you can't seem to quite meet Xellos's."  
  
Amelia felt a combination of embarrassment, relief, and even a little bit of betrayal. "Why didn't you say anything?"  
  
"If he wants to try to hide who he is, that's his decision. I'm just grateful for the chance to see my son again, to know that he's all right... disfiguring curses aside, of course." She took Amelia's hands in her own. "I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you, woman to woman."  
  
Amelia blinked, her cheeks going red. "Thank me for what?"  
  
"For looking after my son," Zahara replied. "He can be... stubborn, at times. Like with this whole curse, thing. Silly, when you get down to it. Anyway, I'm just glad he has someone to help him along." She looked out the window again. "It's getting early. I think I'll get breakfast started. You go get some sleep, I'll wake you when it's ready."   
  
Amelia nodded, and started up the stairs. As she reached for the door to her room, she stopped, and let out a heavy sigh. Everyone was being so nice to her. Frenlea had taken her out to dance, and Zahara had told her things that she couldn't tell Zelgadis. Maybe she was being silly, but she thought that tonight, she had felt what it must be like to have a mother.  
  
Tears welled in her eyes, and she blinked fiercely to fight them back. She felt very alone just then. She remembered seeing children walking down the street, holding their mother's hand, feeling safe and secure, knowing that nothing bad could happen as long as the woman next to them remained. Images came to her of children crying with skinned knees or bruised elbows, running to that one woman who could magically make everything all right again. She thought of a child, asleep in its mothers arms, surrounded by peace and love. Her hand trembled on the knob, and she sank to her knees, overwhelmed with sadness. She felt alone, so very alone, robbed of that great treasure that everyone in the world shared.  
  
She was so overcome by her grief, that when a pair of hands tenderly lifted her to her feet, she didn't resist. Someone led her to her bed, and laid her down. She was too numb with sadness to care. The tears in her eyes prevented her from seeing the worried expression on the man who watched her cry herself to sleep.  
  
Xellos watched to make sure she was asleep. Part of him wondered if there was anything else he could have done for the princess, while another part wondered why he cared in the first place. He shrugged, and headed downstairs to tell Zahara not to wake Amelia. Breakfast could wait, and she needed her sleep.  
  
***  
  
Lina stepped out thankful to be wearing real clothing again. Fortunately, the circus had a very large set of costumes, and apparently had some actors around Lina's height. She even managed to find a sorceress outfit that fit her pretty well. It didn't suit her tastes as well as her regular traveling clothes did, but it was a definite improvement over walking into town in pajamas.  
  
"I see you did better than I did," Ketra said, emerging from one of the small curtained-off sections of the tent that served as changing rooms. The weren't many people as tall and as thin as the half-elf, and the clothing she found was ill-fitting. She wore a white shirt that was obviously made for someone of a much heavier build. Her armor kept it in place, but the sleeves hung loosely around her arms. The white pants had to be belted, and stopped around mid-calf.  
  
"It's only temporary," Lina reminded her as they headed out to meet up with Tensado and Nigel. "You seem to have an awful fondness for white. Any particular reason?"  
  
Ketra blushed. "There's an... image. It's a bit silly, but I'm trying to fit it as best as I can. I had to make a few adjustments when I became a spellsmith, though. The original didn't wear armor or carry a sword."  
  
"If you don't mind me asking," Lina said, raising an eyebrow, "Why did you become a spellsmith, if it doesn't fit this image?"  
  
"There was this... boy..." Ketra said, blushing further. Lina let out a laugh.  
  
"Shoulda known," she said with a sly smile. "There always is, isn't there?"  
  
The blush faded from her cheeks as her jaw tightened. "If you're going to make fun of me," she said tersely, "then forget I said – What the !@#$%happened!?" They had exited the tent, only to find Nigel writhing on the ground. Tensado was kneeling beside him, while Maia hovered nervously above.  
  
"I don't know!" Tensado said. "We were talking, and he just suddenly collapsed like this."  
  
Lina and Ketra ran to their side, both kneeling to inspect Nigel. Ketra began to swear in both human and elvish. He looked horrible. Sweat covered his brow, and his teeth were clenched in pain. He jerked from side to side as spasms racked his body. Lina was impressed that he hadn't screamed. "Have you tried any healing magic on him?" Lina asked.  
  
"I cast recovery," Tensado said, "but it just seemed to make it worse."  
  
"Dammit," Lina swore. "Maybe it's a poison or something. Dicleary might be more effective."  
  
"No!" Nigel said suddenly, then he rasped out, "No magic." With a trembling hand, he reached for his pack, but his body spasmed violently.  
  
"What are you looking for?" Ketra asked, "I can get it for you."  
  
"Wooden... box..." Nigel grunted through clenched teeth. Ketra rummaged through the pack, until she found the box. Inside where various vials containing strange liquids, pouches with odd labels, and tools that Ketra didn't begin to understand. She looked back at Nigel.  
  
"Glass... vial..." he hissed. "Dark... red... liquid... Needle..."  
  
Most of the vials were being used to hold the dark red liquid in them. Ketra pulled one out, and almost dropped it. It felt... odd. Despite the fact that it was just glass, it made her skin crawl, as if she were touching something unpleasant. Forcing herself to ignore the sensation, she searched through the tools for a needle. Finding one, she carefully extracted the strange liquid into the needle. She wasn't sure what it was, but she knew she didn't want to get any on her.  
  
"Okay," she said, turning to Nigel, "I've got it ready." Nigel grunted, and thrust out his arm, but it was shaking too much for her to apply the needle. Finally, Tensado had to kneel on his arm before Ketra could inject the liquid into him.  
  
The spasms stopped almost immediately, but Nigel lay there breathing heavily for a few moments before he could speak.  
  
"I'm okay," he panted. "Sorry about that."  
  
"But what happened?" Maia asked.  
  
"Quiet!" Lina whispered, sharply. Everyone was still. Barely perceptible over Nigel's breathing, was the sound of footsteps.  
  
Nigel tried to struggle on to his feet. "We should go," he said quietly. "I'm fine, but I won't be if we get caught here."  
  
Tensado lifted Nigel and helped him on to Safiya. Carefully, but quickly, they crept across the grass at the side of the road. None of them spoke until they were a good distance into the forest and away from the carnival.  
  
"So what was that all about?" Lina asked.  
  
"Old family curse," Nigel replied. He climbed off of Safiya, but stumbled. Ketra caught him and helped him stand up again.  
  
"Don't push yourself," she told him. "Is this curse something we're going to have to worry about?"  
  
Nigel leaned against a tree for support. "In the short run? No. The attacks aren't very frequent, unless a lot of magic is cast. Normally I can recover enough to administer the antidote after half a minute or so. They're not normally that bad, either. The curse feeds off of magical energy, so spells like Recovery won't help."  
  
"Sorry about that," Tensado said, rubbing the back of his head, nervously. He, too, had managed to find clothing. Fittingly, the clothing he now wore was an assassin's costume. It was a bit big for his slender frame, but it would suffice. "If I had known..."  
  
"How did this happen?" Ketra asked.  
  
Nigel chuckled. "Let's just say my grandfather had a relationship with a sea witch that ended kinda poorly. She cursed him and every male descendant of his for seven generations. Both my grandfather and my father died working on a cure. My father came up with that formula, but it's less effective every time you use it."  
  
"Come on," Lina said, "We'd better get moving before they realize you're missing."  
  
Nigel nodded, and the party started moving into the woods.  
  
Ketra, leading her mount, fell in pace beside the young Mechanist. "Are you sure you don't want to continue riding?"  
  
Nigel smiled nervously. "Thanks, but I'll pass. I don't do well with horses. Besides, I'm fine now."  
  
Ketra wasn't fully convinced, but she didn't press the issue. "It must be worse here. I mean, there isn't much magic where you're from, is there?"  
  
"The attacks got a lot worse," Nigel conceded. "But soon it won't matter. I've finally finished what my grandfather started. The Zero Essence Mist is a complete success."  
  
Everybody stopped.  
  
"And exactly what," Maia said, her voice uncharacteristically calm, "is the Zero Essence Mist?"  
  
"It's an incredible thing," Nigel said, completely oblivious to the sudden change in the party's demeanor. "The mist polarizes any energy fields in the area, making them static. It effectively creates an area where magic simply... ceases... to..." He trailed off as he realized that all four of his companions were staring at him. "Is something wrong?"  
  
Maia again spoke with a deadly calm. "I, Princess Maia, daughter of Queen Maab, ruler of the Fey Kingdom, hereby charge you, Nigel Vendel, with the crime of murdering eleven Royal Explorers." As she finished her charge, vines leapt from the nearby trees, binding the young man's hands and feet. "You will come with me," she said, her voice dripping with venom, "to stand trial at the Fey Kingdom."  
  
To be continued...  
  
Please read and review 


	6. Darkness in the Forest

Disclaimer: Yadda, yadda, yadda, Slayers copyright of Kadokawa Shoten and TV   
  
Tokyo, blah, blah, blah, send comments to bkuhn@ucsd.edu yackity shmackity...  
  
you get the drift  
  
Only took me a month this time, and that was mostly due to some other chaos in my life.  
  
Special thanks go out to my pre-readers: Masa, Sethra, and NJSilver  
  
Lina: Well, things are certainly developing, aren't they? Last chapter Amelia got a surprise visit from the wild elf, Frenlea. Dancing in the forest to chase away Amelia's sorrows.  
  
Amelia: (flushed, but smiling) Yeah. Meanwhile, the metal dragon turned out to be a train, which lead Lina's group to a strange carnival in the middle of the woods. Where they encounter the young inventor, Nigel Vandel!  
  
Lina: Returning to the cabin, Amelia encounters Zelgadis's mother, Zahara. The two have a little heart-to-heart, where Zahara reveals she's known it was Zelgadis the entire time! However, when Amelia reflects on the treatment she's received from the two mothers, she begins to think about what she's missed on life, and is overcome by grief. She's led to bed by Xellos, of all people!  
  
Amelia: Uh, yeah... anyway... Um... it turns out that there's some big conspiracy going on, and Nigel offers to tell Lina all about it if they take him with them. However, once they're out of the camp, things turn ugly. You see, Nigel's suffering from a curse placed on his grandfather, but he's managed to create a cure! Unfortunately, that cure is the Zero Essence Mist – the mist that blocks magic and killed eleven fairies!  
  
Lina: (thinks) That's everything, isn't it?  
  
Gourry: What about Delvier and me?  
  
Lina: Be quiet! All that turned out to be was some stupid gag! The big mystery was a game show! It'll probably get resolved in the first scene, so why bother recapping it?  
  
Gourry: (sighs) Let's just get on with the fic.  
  
***  
  
Slayers: GO!  
  
Chapter 6: Darkness in the Forest  
  
Delvier tossed up a large ruby, then caught it, and held it up for inspection. It caught rays of the morning sun and scattered red lines across Delvier's face. Laughing, he threw the ruby into the air again, before storing it in his saddlebag.  
  
"I think we did pretty well," he said. "Don't you, Gourry?" Gourry was silent. "I mean, that Keitaro kid got the grand prize," Delvier went on, "but good for him! This ruby should suit our purposes just fine." Still Gourry said nothing. Delvier turned in his saddle to look back at his brother. The blond swordsman continued to glare at him as he had done since they left Trebec. "You're not still mad are you?"  
  
"IT BIT MY ARM OFF!" Gourry yelled. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH THAT HURT!"  
  
Delvier smiled nervously. "The healers were able to re-grow it, though."   
  
Gourry examined his right arm. The healers had managed to mend it perfectly, although he noticed the the re-grown flesh was paler than the rest of his skin. "It still tingles," he complained.  
  
"Just be glad you made it to the sixth tier," Delvier told him.  
  
"I dunno," Gourry said. "The earlier chests were a lot smaller. I probably could have held them off."  
  
"But we wouldn't have gotten a very good prize, now, would we? To be honest, I'm surprised the old dropping the sword trick worked at all."  
  
Gourry blinked in surprise. "You mean I picked the chests you told me to open, and you weren't even sure about it!"  
  
The paladin shrugged his armored shoulders. "I know the trick works for priests and priestesses. In theory, Cephied should show his favor to his holy knights as well, but I don't think anybody's ever tested it before."  
  
Gourry resumed glaring at his brother. "I just hope we can save the world before you get me killed."  
  
***  
  
"Ah, Xellos," Zahara called out as the dark priest peeked into the kitchen. There appeared to be at least half a dozen dishes in various states of being prepared, yet Zahara paced the kitchen calmly, attending to each pot, pan, and bowl in turn. "Breakfast is just about ready. Could you go get your fiancé for me?" A corner of her mouth twitched in amusement as she bent over a frying pan..  
  
"Actually, I think it would be best to let her sleep in," Xellos said, reaching to dip a finger into one of the pots. Without even looking, Zahara reached out behind her, slapping Xellos's hand with a wooden spoon.  
  
"You can eat it when it's ready," she told him, not even slowing down as she made her rounds among the dishes, "and not a moment before. Is Amelia all right?"  
  
"I think she will be," Xellos said. Truthfully, he didn't really understand what Amelia was going through. He knew she was sad, but he didn't know what had caused this breakdown, and his knowledge of sadness in general was rather limited. He was more familiar with other types of misery, such as anger, hopelessness, or his personal favorite, irritation. Amelia was a disgustingly cheerful person, though, so it stood to reason that given time, she should recover from this.  
  
"What's wrong with Amelia?" said a cold voice from the doorway.  
  
"Ah, Zel," Zahara said, giving him the briefest of glances before returning to the kitchen. "You should be taking it easy."  
  
"Yes," Zelgadis said, sullenly. Zahara smiled at the situation and the implicit 'mother' that went unsaid. She was busy mixing the eggs, though, so neither Xellos nor Zelgadis saw it. "Come on, Xellos, let's leave Miss Zahara to her cooking." He grabbed the mazoku by the collar and dragged him out of the kitchen.  
  
"Now," he said, turning on Xellos the moment the kitchen door had closed, "what's wrong with Amelia?"  
  
Xellos thought about how to say this best. "She had a long night," he said simply.  
  
"Because..." Zelgadis prompted.  
  
"Well, I have a lot of stamina, and that girl just can't get enough of me!" Xellos grinned. His definition of 'best' was whatever way would give Zelgadis an ulcer quickest.  
  
Zelgadis grabbed Xellos by the front of his cloak. "I wonder if strangling you to death would count as 'taking it easy.' I'm not in the mood for your enigmatic bullshit."  
  
"Yare yare," Xellos said, pulling away from Zelgadis and adjusting his cloak. "For starters, she was rather upset last night. You really should be nicer to her." He smiled, watching Zelgadis bristle at being told to be nicer by a demon. "I was gone for most of the night, but I came back on the tail end of a little talk she was having with Miss Zahara. She told Amelia to get some rest before breakfast. The princess seemed happy enough, but then she broke down crying in front of our room. I really don't get that girl sometimes."  
  
"Hey," Abram Tellah said, coming down the stairs, "what's with all the racket!"  
  
"We're just having a conversation, Mr. Tellah," Xellos said.  
  
"You." The doctor pointed a gnarled old finger at Zelgadis. "Come with me. I want to see how well you're recovering."  
  
"All right," Zelgadis said, turning away from Xellos.  
  
***  
  
It was noon, and Lina and the others traveled in silence. They had made a quick stop for breakfast when the sun had rose, then continued on their journey. A very somber mood had fallen over the party, and no one felt like talking. Lina just wanted to get to the Fey Kingdom. It was an unpleasant situation, and one she intended to put behind her as quickly as possible.  
  
Nigel's bonds had been tied to the back of Ketra's saddle, and he stumbled along behind Safiya. Ketra didn't slacken her pace at all for him. Lina noted that she had shown a lot of kindness towards Nigel – helping him apply his formula and inquiring about his curse. The revelation of the Zero Essence Mist must have left her feeling somewhat betrayed.  
  
Nigel had initially professed ignorance, claiming not to understand what Maia was talking about. But nobody answered him. Maia was furious and Ketra wouldn't even look at him. Lina herself couldn't help but remember how helpless she felt in Jenso's grip, stripped of her magic. Tensado hadn't said anything either. Lina looked at him, but aside from the absence of his usual smile, he gave no clues as to what he thought of the situation.  
  
"This is the border of the Fey Kingdom," Maia said. The venom she had shown earlier had faded, and now she spoke with a falsely emotionless tone. She pointed to a tree. A large black vine wrapped around it, with blood red flowers growing wherever the vine circled a branch. "The Sentinel Vines will tell the guard of our arrival. We'll probably meet an escort halfway there, and then you can go on your way. If you're willing to take the time to come with me to the castle, I'm sure my mother will reward you for your services." Lina nodded, but nobody said anything, and they continued into the forest.  
  
"Something's wrong," Ketra said, suddenly. She looked around from tree to tree, not as if she was searching for something, but rather that she could see something that didn't make sense to her. Lina couldn't see anything but trees. The forest seemed incredibly still and quiet, like time itself was holding its breath.  
  
The fairy princess stopped and turned to Ketra. "What do you mean?"  
  
Ketra frowned. "I'm not sure. It's just that something... isn't right. The trees are... sad. Something terrible has happened."  
  
Tensado knelt low to the ground. He crawled forward, taking large sniffs at the air. "The scents are odd. I can smell death..." He paused, then swallowed and continued. "And I can smell fog."  
  
"Y-you can't..." Maia said, her voice trembling. "It... it can't be the... Zero Essence Mist." The last three words were barely a whisper, as if she feared saying the name would make it true. "We... we need to hurry!" She looked to each of them, panic in her eyes. "Maybe we can help!"  
  
Lina nodded. She doubted there was much left they COULD do, but they had to try, for Maia's sanity if nothing else. "Then let's hurry," she said, raising her hand for Maia to land. As soon as the fairy had settled, Lina leapt forward. "RAYWING!"  
  
"Tensado," Ketra said, "get on." The young assassin nodded, and vaulted onto Safiya's back. Without even waiting for a command, Safiya took off into a gallop. Nigel tried vainly to keep up, but he quickly lost his footing, and was dragged across the forest floor.  
  
Maia directed them down a forest path, Lina flying ahead with Ketra and Tensado right behind her. It wasn't long before they saw it: wisps of fog lingered amongst the trees. It was faint, dissipating under the noon sun. However, when Lina flew through a barely perceptible patch, she suddenly dipped dangerously close to the ground, and Maia began coughing uncontrollably. It was only the briefest of seconds before they were out the other side, but it left them with no doubts. This was in fact the Zero Essence Mist.  
  
Following the fairies directions, Lina flew deeper into the forest. Maia lead them down numerous paths which made a giant woodland maze. Some were giant aisles arched by trees, some were hardly more than game trails. Maia pointed, and Lina turned around a giant oak tree.  
  
And nearly crashed into someone. She pulled up sharply, but smashed into a branch. Losing control of the spell, she fell to the ground in a heap. In her daze, she heard Safiya neigh, and guessed that the horse had barely stopped in time to avoid trampling the figure at the base of the tree.  
  
"Look," Lina said. She turned around, fully intending to chew out whoever was sitting there, but he words caught in her throat. It was a little girl, no more than seven years old. She was crying uncontrollably. A tear lingered at the tip of her chin, before falling onto the face of a boy her age that she was cradling in her lap.  
  
"Allera?" Maia asked, flying over to the girl. "Are you okay? What happened?"  
  
"Kaol won't wake up," the girl sobbed. Her words were punctuated by large sniffs. "I pinched him, and... and I slapped him... and I pinched his nose shut, 'cause he hates that... but he won't wake up!!! Why won't he wake up, Maia?"  
  
Lina took a deep breath. This wouldn't be easy. "Look – Allera, is it? We need to know what happened. Can you tell us what happened?"  
  
Allera looked back down at Kaol's perfectly still face. "Kaol said there were men in the forest... I didn't believe him, though... Kaol... Kaol's always makin' up stuff like that... But he insisted that it was true, so I went along with him..."  
  
"And what did you see?" Lina said, forcing her voice to be friendly and encouraging. It wasn't an easy thing to do, when she was barely fighting back tears as it was. "What did he show you?"  
  
"There... there WERE men. Kaol wasn't lyin' this time. They had a strange thing... It was metal... and then it started pouring out the fog... an' we got real frightened... an' Kaol pushed me into the bush... an' when I woke up... he was... he was..." She trailed off as her tears made further speech impossible.  
  
"You poor thing," Ketra said. She had slid off of Safiya, and she knelt down to wrap her arms around the girl. "Don't worry. Everything will be okay."  
  
Allera pushed Ketra away with surprising force. "No it won't!" she screamed. There was something dark in that scream, something that promised suffering and torment. Lina shivered at the sound of it. "You promised me!" Allera said angrily, turning to Maia. "You promised! You said that if I came with you, there'd be no pain. There'd be no sadness! But I AM sad! Kaol won't wake up! Make him wake up, Maia!"  
  
Tensado crept up behind Maia. "What's she talking about?"  
  
"Don't you see?" Maia said, her voice heavy with tears of her own. "Allera and Kaol are changelings, human children taken by fairies and turned into Fey." Lina looked, and sure enough, while Allera looked human, her ears were slightly pointed, like that of an elf's. "Kaol was a runaway," Maia continued, "and Allera... Allera's father beat her. A changeling is the result of a promise between a fairy and a child. They join us in the forest, and we let them forget all their troubles, to live and play happily forever."  
  
"It hurts," Allera cried, her anger giving way to sorrow once more. She bent over Kaol's body. "I want to play with Kaol again, Maia. I want the hurt to go away."  
  
"Don't worry, Allera," Maia said, soothingly. "I will send you to where Kaol is. I will make the hurt go away." She drew the saber from her side. The tiny silver blade flashed in the sunlight, but it was not the only thing that reflected the light. Hanging in the air in front of Maia, was another sword. It was the size of a human's sword and made of pure silver. It seemed impossibly solid, and yet, somehow, not real at the same time. "I promise you," Maia went on, "this time, you will never be sad again." She lifted her sword, and the phantom sword mirrored the motion exactly, bringing the curve of the blade to rest on the back of Allera's exposed neck.  
  
"You can't," someone mumbled. Everyone turned to see Nigel struggling to get to his feet. He was bruised and bloody from being dragged across the ground for so long. "She's just a child."  
  
Maia turned, bringing the sword to point at Nigel. "Don't you DARE speak to me!" she said through her tears. "As soon as I'm done with her, you're next. I was going to bring you to stand trial at the courts, but after this... I'll just bring them your head. It'll be more than enough for them."  
  
"I hate to side with Nigel," Lina said, "but he does have a point. She's just a child. Does it need to end like this?"  
  
"You don't understand!" Maia cried, waving the sword. "My sister changed Kaol, but I'm the one who changed Allera. I promised her relief from all the pain she had suffered... but I couldn't keep my promise... and bad things happen to a changeling, when their promise is broken."  
  
"Bad things?" Tensado asked, tentatively. Maia didn't answer immediately. The woods were silent, save for Allera's muted sobs.  
  
"When the promised happiness turns to sadness," Maia said, her voice calm, but wavering, "it fills them up completely, leaving no room for happiness. The sadness turns to bitterness and malice, and the changeling becomes something dark and evil, a thrice. Betrayed three times: once by their own kind, once by their fairy, and finally by their own heart. They eat fairies, and pull cruel, often deadly, tricks on travelers... and worse of all, they attack and kill other changelings. I can't let that happen to Allera! Better to have her dead, with her blood on my hands, then to let her desecrate everything she used to be!" She brought her sword back, it's double following her precise movements.  
  
"Wait!" Nigel cried out again. "What if I can save him?"  
  
"Kaol is dead!" Ketra snapped, then looked shocked at herself for that outburst. "I... I'm sorry..."  
  
But Allera didn't seem to have heard what Ketra had said. She turned to Nigel. "You... you can save him? You can make Kaol wake up?"  
  
Maia flew to Nigel, stopping inches from his face. "How dare you!" she said. Her voice, indeed, her entire body, was shaking with rage. "Haven't you done enough to her? Do you even HAVE a heart? I will not stand by and let you give her false hope in some pathetic attempt to save your own worthless hide!"  
  
Nigel's head sank. He could not bring himself to look at the fairy.  
  
"I can't deny it," he said. "This tragedy is my fault. I created the Zero Essence Mist, which caused all of this. But it wasn't supposed to be this way. You probably won't believe me, but the Zero Essence Mist was supposed to heal."  
  
"Heal!?" Lina shouted. "What part of this looks like healing? How on earth could your goddamn mist heal anybody."  
  
The young inventor turned to Lina. She gasped at what she saw in his eyes. They were empty. They were the eyes of a man who had lost all belief, the eyes of one who is dead.  
  
"Lina," he said, "I believe you have often travelled with a man named Zelgadis Grey-" He was cut off as Ketra struck his face with her hand.  
  
"Never speak that name again, you @#$% piece of @#$%!"  
  
"It would cure him." Lina said.  
  
"What?" Ketra asked, tearing her eyes from Nigel.  
  
"It's not worth it, though," Nigel said, more to himself than anyone else. "Nothing could be worth this. My father, and his father before him... They spent their entire lives working on this. Decades and decades of blood and sweat, and in an instant I desecrated all of it."  
  
"You're lying," Allera said, suddenly. She had stopped crying. Again, darkness had crept into her voice. Again, Lina shuddered at the mere sound of it. "Everybody's lying. You can't make him wake up! Everybody lies to me! Momma said things would get better someday! That she'd take me far away from dad! But she never did! I hated her! And you!" She turned to Maia. "You said you'd make everything better, and I believed you!" The darkness in her voice swelled. "I hate you! I hate you all! Kaol lied to me, too!" She looked down at Kaol's body, and Lina knew that once she said what came next, there was no turning back; she'd become a thrice.  
  
"Hate me!" Nigel said, desparately. "It's all my fault. I'm the one who put Kaol to sleep. Maia just wanted to help you. I'm the one who betrayed you, not Maia. Hate me! Loathe me! Despise me! It's no less than I deserve. Just don't blame Maia. She doesn't deserve what I did to her."  
  
"You said you could save him," she said. The darkness had subsided, but in no way had it left her voice.  
  
Nigel swallowed hard. "I'm not going to lie to you, Allera. I don't know if I can save him. The mist... the mist did bad things to him. It was never supposed to be breathed by a changeling, and I don't know if I can fix it. The truth, Allera, is that I think it's too late. I think that Kaol is gone forever. I'd like to try, though." Allera looked at him, then, almost imperceptibly, she nodded. He looked towards Maia.  
  
Maia returned the look. "If you can't save him..." she said threateningly.  
  
"If I can't save him, then I'll at least spare your hands of Allera's blood. And I'll follow her to the hands of Cephied to make sure she's with Kaol again."  
  
Maia nodded. Sheathing her sword, she clapped twice, and the vines that help Nigel withered into dust. Nigel rushed to Allera's side, and took Kaol from her. He held his fingers against his wrist, then pried the boy's eyes open to examine them.  
  
"Maybe..." he whispered. "It's a long shot, but just maybe... I'll need my supplies," he said in the general direction of Ketra. He couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes. Ketra glared at him, but she grabbed the wooden box from Safiya's saddlebags. Muttering countless swears under her breath, she shoved it into Nigel's hands, and turned her back on him.  
  
"Where is it..." he mumbled, searching through the contents. "Dammit! Where is it!" He threw out various bags in disgust. "No, quicksilver won't work... too dangerous... I know I had a... found it!" He pulled out a small cloth sack. Satisfied with that, he started pulling out other things.  
  
"Tensado," he said, not looking up from his box. He held up two vials, one was empty but the other held his formula. "Take this. Put it on a string, and spin it around your head as fast as you can. Don't stop until the top half is completely clear. Once you're done, pour the clear half into the other vial. Get as much as you can, but do NOT let a single drop of the red half into the second vial."  
  
Tensado looked at the others, then shrugged and took the vials from Nigel.  
  
Nigel was busy mixing up something in another one of the glass vials. He threw away the bag he had been searching for, it's contents emptied into his new concoction, along with a smaller vial that shattered when it hit the ground.  
  
"Rowan sap," Lina said, reading the label on the vial. She looked at the bag. "And mithril powder? What are you planning Nigel?"  
  
Nigel kneaded his forehead, as if trying to force thoughts to come together with his hands. "The mist polarizes astral and elemental energy... For humans, it's not a big deal, we don't need that kind of energy except to cast magic. It looks like changelings, though, use that energy for simpler purposes. Simply put Kaol doesn't have enough energy to make his heart beat or to breathe." He stopped, trying to figure out exactly where he was going with this train of thought. "It's not that different from my seizures, it's just opposite. My body collects the energy until it has too much, and it gets in the way of my muscles. That's what causes the twitching you saw this morning."  
  
Tensado held up the clear vial. "I don't see how this is going to help, though. Doesn't the formula get rid of that extra energy?"  
  
"Normally, yes, but that's with iron and lead and salt mixed in. The clear liquid you have there depolarizes cells, allowing energy to flow through them, bringing it to equilibrium faster."  
  
"So if we give it to him, he'll pull in more energy?" Tensado asked.  
  
"Yes, but not enough. That's not enough to dispel the energy that builds up in my system, and getting energy back into his is a much more daunting task. The other half, substances that repel magical energy, drastically lower that equilibrium point, causing the energy to leave my body much, much faster."  
  
"That's why you're using the rowan sap and mithril," Lina said. "They're heavy in magic, so they'll increase his equilibrium instead of lowering it."  
  
Nigel held the vial of the thick silvery liquid up. "I don't sure it's enough. If only I had more mithril! I need something else to increase the flowpoint."  
  
"Blood," Maia said. "Fairy blood will do it."  
  
"Not enough," Nigel said. "If we were to use all the blood in your body, it would barely be enough."  
  
Maia didn't hesitate. "If it'll save them, I'm willing to make that sacrifice."  
  
Ketra gasped. "You can't."  
  
"Why not? It'll save Kaol AND Allera. Two lives in exchange for one."  
  
"You don't know it will work!" Ketra responded. "Enough people have died at this @#$%'s hands without adding you to the @#$%ing list!"  
  
"You don't understand!" Maia shrieked back. "I have to! I made a promise to Allera, and I'll do everything I can to keep that promise!"  
  
"Even if it means your own @#$%ing death?!"  
  
"Done," Nigel said, holding up a much thinner liquid. It was still silver, but red swirls flowed through it. Tensado was wrapping a piece of cloth around his arm.  
  
"Done?" Maia and Ketra said in unison.  
  
"Werewolf blood," Tensado said with his cheerful smile. "It's good for you, puts hair on your chest."  
  
"Will it work?" Maia asked.  
  
Nigel paused. "There might be some... side effects from using werewolf blood, but I think this should do the trick."  
  
Allera had been staring at Nigel the entire time. "So if he drinks that, he'll wake up?" That indescribable darkness was still there, but it couldn't hide that glimmer of hope in her voice.  
  
"Well," Nigel said, drawing the new formula into one of his needles, "he won't drink it, we're going to put it in his blood with this. Don't worry, in his current state, he won't feel anything."  
  
"I don't care if he screams his head off," Allera said, the darkness swelling at the end, before fading almost completely away, "as long as he wakes up."  
  
"Now, Allera," Nigel said, in the steady tones of one who must make a child understand something difficult. "I haven't lied to you yet, have I? I want you to know, this might not make him wake up. I believe it will work, but I might be wrong. I need you to know, however, that I am trying my best."  
  
He tapped the needle. "Time to see what happens." He pulled up Kaol's tunic, and positioned the needle just above the child's heart. Lina could hear Ketra muttering a prayer to Cephied, and oddly enough, Tensado started echoing her words. Nigel took a deep breath, and drove the needle into Kaol's chest.  
  
For a moment that seemed to last an eternity, nothing happened.  
  
Then Kaol coughed.  
  
***  
  
Amelia jumped as Dr. Tellah placed the stethoscope on her chest. Dr. Tellah said nothing, but glared at her over the rims of his glasses. Zelgadis had recovered faster than expected, and Dr. Tellah said he could leave after lunch, as long as he took it easy over the next few days. Zelgadis, however, had insisted that while they were here, Amelia should get a checkup.  
  
"Sorry," Amelia said, blushing. "It's cold."  
  
"Take a deep breath and hold it," the grizzled doctor instructed. Amelia did as she was told and Dr. Tellah listened to her heart. "Breathe out... Good. All right, you can get dressed now."  
  
Amelia nodded, and pulled her shirt back on while Dr. Tellah rummaged around in his cupboards.  
  
"Here it is," he said, pulling out a small jar. "There's nothing wrong with your body. You're just suffering some stress." He handed her the jar, which contained brown leaves. "Use these to make tea. Drink a cup of it before you go to sleep each night. It'll help."  
  
"Thanks, Dr. Tellah," Amelia said. She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"Bah!" Dr. Tellah said. "Someone's got to keep an eye on you kids." And he hobbled out of the room, still muttering. Amelia giggled. Some people had such odd ways of showing they cared.  
  
Lunch was a quiet affair. Solto excused himself after breakfast. He had slowly taken over the role of the village's doctor as his father got too old to make house calls, and there were several patients he needed to look in on. Not soon after Solto had left, a child came by calling for Mrs. Tellah. His sister had gone into labor, and needed a midwife. Xellos disappeared at some point as well, so it was just the four of them.  
  
"That stew was great, Miss Zahara," Amelia said once they were done. "I wish I could cook like that."  
  
Zahara smiled. "It's really nothing that special. I'll give you the recipe." She turned to look at Zelgadis.  
  
"We should be going, soon," Zelgadis said, looking out the window. "We can still make some good progress before sunset." He looked at Dr. Tellah. "How much do we owe you?"  
  
Dr. Tellah waved his hand as if chasing away a fly, not even bothering to look up from his stew. "Bah, I'm not gonna charge you. The missus'd never let me hear the end of it if I did."  
  
"I can't accept that," Zelgadis insisted. "We've taken up your time and supplies. You cooked for us and gave us beds for the night."  
  
Dr. Tellah lifted his bowl to his lips and drained it before he responded. "Well what did you expect? You're practically my grandson. Hey, Zahara," he said, turning and holding up his now empty bowl, "any more of that soup left?" Zelgadis stared, dumbstruck, at the old man, and Amelia found it hard to keep herself from laughing out loud.  
  
"Oh, Abram," Zahara said with a false exasperated sigh. "You ruined their little game."  
  
"Game?" he asked, bewildered.  
  
"Yes," Zahara said. "They were trying to keep Zelgadis's identity hidden. Remember how Amelia introduced him as her brother?"  
  
Tellah merely grunted. "I'm too old to try to keep up with this kind of stuff. Now, is there any soup left or not?"  
  
This was too much, and Amelia and Zahara both began to laugh. Even Zelgadis joined in.  
  
They left a good deal later than originally planned, but they were in high spirits when they did. Xellos was still absent, but this only increased Zelgadis's good mood. Amelia felt more refreshed and alive than she had in a while.  
  
There was a path heading through the woods in the same general direction that the Crystal Beacon spell pointed, and they made good time. The sun was just starting to stain the western sky when they came upon a large clearing. A man sat upon a stone in the middle, sharpening an arrow head.  
  
His hair and beard were dark black, and both were perfectly trimmed. His armor had been polished until it shone, a stark contrast to the large patchwork sack next to him. Amelia recognized him at once. He was the one who had been watching her at the inn.  
  
"Who are you?" Amelia blurted out. The man looked up, but his focus was on Zelgadis, not her.  
  
"Took you long enough," he said. He put the arrow aside and stood up. "I would have been very disappointed in you if you fell to the first trap, Zelgadis."  
  
"You sick bastard," Zelgadis growled. "Just who the hell are you, and what do you want from me?"  
  
The stranger bowed. "I am Eric Levandale," he said. "And what I want is the pleasure of hunting you, Zelgadis Greywords!"  
  
To be continued...  
  
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